Toronto, January 28, 2026 – France’s National Assembly has approved a sweeping bill that would ban social media use for children under 15, igniting a global debate about protecting youth online and raising questions about how effectively such a restriction could be enforced.
A Digital Age of Limits?
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The proposed law aims to shield young minds from the potential harms of social platforms, but experts are divided on whether a complete ban is the right approach.
- France is taking the most aggressive stance yet in regulating youth access to social media.
- Canada is revisiting its ‘Online Harms Act’ with a focus on platform accountability.
- Australia already has a similar ban in place for those under 16.
French President Emmanuel Macron has been vocal about the need to protect children, stating, “Children’s brains are not for sale.” The bill, passed on January 26th, would require platforms like Instagram and TikTok to verify the age of their users, with significant penalties for those who violate the rules. Full implementation is targeted before the start of the new school year in September.
Canada Reconsiders Online Safety
The Canadian federal government is also accelerating efforts to safeguard young people online. Mark Miller, Canada’s Minister of Identity and Culture, plans to reintroduce an amended version of the ‘Online Harms Act (Bill C-63)’ to the House of Commons in 2026. This legislation, previously repealed in 2024, aims to strengthen the online safety framework by holding platforms accountable for swiftly removing harmful content – including deepfakes, cyberbullying material, and exploitative imagery – within a 24-hour timeframe, rather than pursuing an outright ban on use.
“Blanket bans are not effective because children can find ways around them,” explained Manit Zemel, a Toronto-based legal expert. “We need sophisticated legislation that focuses on specific online harms.”
- Legal experts emphasize targeted legislation over broad bans.
- Parent-led groups are promoting digital wellness through initiatives like the ‘Autonomy Pledge.’
- Tech companies warn that bans could push users to less regulated, more dangerous corners of the internet.
Beyond legal regulations, the parent-led group ‘Unplugged Canada’ is spearheading a movement to reset social norms with the ‘Autonomy Pledge,’ which encourages delaying smartphone use until age 14 and social media until age 16.
Tech Industry Pushback
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, cautioned that a complete ban could inadvertently drive teenagers towards unregulated and potentially dangerous online spaces. The company highlighted its ‘Teen Accounts’ feature, which allows parents to manage their children’s activity and automatically block sensitive content, as a technological alternative.
The Canadian government is currently working to strike a balance between freedom of expression and child protection, drawing lessons from the stricter policies implemented in France and Australia.
[Unsplash @Swello]
