The French Senate has voted in favor of a social media ban for children under age 15, potentially making the country the first European nation to follow Australia's lead in passing such a law. This vote arrives as countries across Europe are increasingly considering measures to regulate social media access for young people. **Emmanuel Macron**, the French President, has strongly supported the legislation, stating in January that children's emotions should not be "for sale or manipulated by American platforms and Chinese algorithms." The French National Assembly previously passed legislation in January that requires social media companies to reject new users under 15 and delete existing accounts belonging to that age group. The Senate bill proposes a system that divides platforms into two categories: * Platforms deemed to cause harm to “physical, mental or moral development” would face an outright ban for users under 15. * Platforms considered less detrimental could be used by children under 15 with parental consent. The Senate bill also includes an exception for online encyclopedias and educational platforms. The European Union is also pushing for bloc-wide reforms to restrict social media access for young teens. The European Parliament proposed a non-binding resolution in November suggesting that children under 16 should require parental consent to access social media, AI companions, and video-sharing platforms. They also suggested a ban for children under 13, regardless of parental consent. Other European countries are also considering similar measures: * In February, Spanish Prime Minister **Pedro Sanchez** announced plans to protect children from the “digital Wild West,” including barring children under 16 from social media and requiring platforms to verify users’ ages. * The Dutch government has expressed interest in raising the minimum age for social media access in Europe to 15. * In January, the British government announced it was considering a ban on social media access for children under 16. Prime Minister **Keir Starmer** stated that childhood should not involve “constant judgement from strangers or the pressure to perform for likes.” The British government recently launched a pilot program to test various reforms for social media access with British families. This pilot is part of a government consultation, which began on March 2 and will conclude on May 26, with a decision expected shortly after.