France is preparing a new law to ban social media for children under 15 starting September 2024. President Emmanuel Macron supports the plan, urging Parliament to begin debate in January. This follows Australia’s recent social media ban for under-16s. The draft law says, “Many studies and reports now confirm the various risks caused by excessive use of digital screens by adolescents.” It warns that kids with free online access face inappropriate content and cyber-harassment, and that too much screen time harms sleep. Two key rules are proposed: online platforms cannot provide social media services to minors under 15, and mobile phone use in secondary schools will be banned. Macron has called protecting minors online a top priority. But earlier laws faced enforcement problems and EU legal blocks. A 2018 mobile phone ban in schools is rarely enforced. A 2023 law setting a digital age of 15 was blocked for conflicting with EU rules. In April 2024, France’s Senate supported a related plan requiring parental permission for social media sign-ups by 13-to-16-year-olds. This proposal now moves to the National Assembly for approval before becoming law.