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.
World
French Parliament’s committee approves social media ban for under-15s
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.
A silhouette of a child looking on his mobile phone in Putrajaya, Malaysia, 01 June 2026. Malaysia's new Child Protection Code (CPC) under the Online Safety Act 2025 (ONSA) takes effect on 01 June for major social media platforms operating in the country, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, barring children under 16 from opening new accounts and implementing age verification, privacy and safety settings, content moderation, recommendation algorithms, parental control tools and restrictions on harmful or exploitative interactions. EPA/FAZRY ISMAIL