French Parliament's committee approves social media ban for under-15s

PARIS, July 20 (Reuters) - ‌A reconciliation ​committee ​of France's Parliament agreed on a bill on Monday to ban access ‌to social media for those under 15 ⁠years of age.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he ‌wants the ban to ‌be in force by the start of the school year in early September. France ​would follow Australia, which enacted the world's first ban for under-16s on platforms including ⁠Meta Platforms' Facebook, Snap's Snapchat, Bytedance's TikTok and Alphabet's YouTube ​in December.

• Macron has drummed up support for the ban in the European ​Union and elsewhere. European Commission ‌President Ursula von der Leyen has recently supported limiting children's access to ⁠social media in the 27-country bloc.

• The reconciled text will be discussed on Tuesday in the ⁠Lower House and later in the Senate.

• The Information ​Technology minister will establish a list of the social networks banned for children and teenagers younger than 15 ‌years old.

• Social media platforms will have to set up systems of ‌age verification approved by the French privacy ⁠regulator.

• The bill ‌would also ban ​the use of smartphones in high schools.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by Cynthia ‌Osterman)

---

Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!

---

You May Also Be Interested In

• US diesel futures fall after report of export ban plan, which the White House denies
• Conagra shareholders vote for proposed changes to executive pay
• Satellite Bluetooth startup Hubble Network raises $200 million at $1.6 billion valuation