France is preparing to ban social media for children under the age of 15. The French Parliament has voted strongly in favor of a new law that would stop young teenagers from using social media platforms. The law still needs approval from the French Senate, but the government wants to move very fast so it can be applied by September, at the start of the new school year.
With this law, children under 15 would not be allowed to create or use social media accounts. There would also be mandatory age verification to make sure users are old enough. The French government says this decision is based on scientific advice and aims to protect children’s mental health and development.
President Emmanuel Macron supports the law and sees it as part of a larger fight to protect children online. France is also working on other rules, such as banning mobile phones in high schools and limiting fake news and hate speech on the internet. Some countries, like Australia and other European nations, are thinking about similar laws.
However, these regulations create tension with the United States, where the Trump administration has accused Europe of limiting free speech. European leaders respond by saying these laws protect democracy and prevent foreign interference. Macron says children’s brains are “not for sale” and should not be controlled by algorithms.
Vocabulary:
• ban (verb): to officially stop something
• vote (noun/verb): to choose or decide officially
• law (noun): a rule made by a government
• under the age of (expression): younger than
• mandatory (adj): required by law
• age verification (noun): checking someone’s age
• mental health (noun): emotional and psychological well-bei
• fake news (noun): false information online
• hate speech (noun): messages that attack or insult groups
• algorithm (noun): a system that decides what content people see