French lawmakers have passed a bill that would ban social media use by under-15s, a move championed by President Emmanuel Macron who said, “The emotions of our children and teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, either by American platforms or Chinese algorithms.”

The lower national assembly adopted the text by a vote of 130 to 21 in a lengthy session. It will now go to the Senate, France’s upper house, ahead of becoming law.

Macron hailed the vote as a “major step” to protect French children and teenagers in a post on X.

The legislation, which also provides for a ban on mobile phones in high schools, would make France the second country to take such a step following Australia’s ban for under-16s in December.

As social media has grown, so has concern that too much screen time is harming child development and contributing to mental health problems.

Authorities want the measures to be enforced from the start of the 2026 school year for new accounts.

Former prime minister Gabriel Attal, who leads Macron’s Renaissance party in the lower house, said he hoped the Senate would pass the bill by mid-February so that the ban could come into force on 1 September.

He added that “social media platforms will then have until 31 December to deactivate existing accounts” that do not comply with the age limit.

France’s public health watchdog ANSES said this month that social media such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram had several detrimental effects on adolescents, particularly girls, though it was not the sole reason for their declining mental health.

The risks listed include cyberbullying and exposure to violent content.