BRUSSELS — France is hurtling toward a ban for children younger than 15 to access social media — a move that would see it become only the second country in the world to take that step.

The plan comes amid rising concerns about the impacts of apps including Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and X on children’s mental health.

After Australia in December kicked kids under 16 off a host of platforms, France is leading the charge in Europe with a bill that would prohibit social media for under-15s as soon as this year.

Supported by President Emmanuel Macron and his centrist Renaissance party, the proposed law passed the French parliament’s lower chamber in the early hours of Tuesday.

Here are 5 things to know.

When will a ban kick in?

While the timing isn’t finalized, the government is targeting September of this year.

“As of September 1st, our children and adolescents will finally be protected. I will see to it,” Macron said in an X post.

The bill now has to be voted on by the French Senate, and Macron’s governing coalition is aiming for a discussion on Feb. 16.

If the Senate votes the bill through, a joint committee with representatives of both upper and lower houses of parliament will be formed to finalize the text.

Which platforms will be banned?

That decision will lie with France’s media authority Arcom, since the legislation itself doesn’t outline which platforms will or won’t be covered.

The architect of the bill, Renaissance lawmaker Laure Miller, has said it will be similar to Australia’s and would likely see under-15s banned from using Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and X.

Australia no longer allows children under 16 to create accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube.

Australia’s list doesn’t include Discord, GitHub, Google Classroom, LEGO Play, Messenger, Pinterest, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat, WhatsApp or YouTube Kids.

Miller has also described plans to come up with a definition that could see the ban cover individual features on social media platforms.

WhatsApp Stories and Channels — a feature of the popular messaging app — could be included, as well as the online chat within the gaming platform Roblox, the French MP said.

Who will enforce it?

With France set to be the first country within the European Union to take this step, a major sticking point as the bill moves through parliament has been who will enforce it.

Authorities have finally settled on an answer: Brussels.

The EU has comprehensive social media rules, the Digital Services Act, which on paper prohibits countries from giving big platforms additional obligations. After some back and forth between France and the European Commission, they have come to an agreement.

France can’t give more obligations to platforms but it can set a minimum age on accessing social media. It will then be up to the Commission to ensure national rules are followed.

This is similar to how other parts of the DSA work, such as illegal content. Exactly what is illegal content is determined by national law, and the Commission must then make sure that platforms are properly assessing and mitigating the risks of spreading it.

How exactly the EU will make sure no children in France are accessing sites is untested.

DSA violations can lead to fines of up to 6 percent of platforms’ annual global revenue.

What are the technical challenges?

Companies within the industry have been at loggerheads over who should implement age gates that would render the social media ban possible.

Platform providers including Meta say that operating system services should implement age checks, whereas OS and app store providers such as Apple say the opposite.

The Commission has not clearly prescribed responsibility to either side of the industry, but France has interpreted guidance from Brussels as putting the onus on the service providers. France’s bill therefore puts the responsibility on the likes of TikTok and Instagram.

Exactly what the technical solution will be to implement a ban is up to the platforms, as long as it meets requirements for accuracy and privacy.

Some public entities have developed solutions, like the French postal service’s “Jeprouvemonage,” which the platforms can use. Privately developed tech is also available.

“No solution will be imposed on the platforms by the state,” the office of the minister for digital affairs told journalists. 

Is this happening in other European countries?

France is not the only European country working on such restrictions.

Denmark’s parliament agreed on restrictions for under-15s, although parents can allow them to go on social media if they are older than 13. Denmark hasn’t passed a formal bill. Austria’s digital minister said an Australia-style ban is being developed for under-14s.

Bills are going through the Spanish and Italian parliaments, and Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also voiced support for similar plans. Germany is considering its options. The Dutch government has issued guidance to say kids younger than 15 should not access social media like TikTok.

Many of these countries as well as the European Parliament have said they want something done at the EU level.

While the Commission has said it will allow EU countries to set their own minimum ages for accessing social media, it is also trying to come up with measures that would apply across the entire bloc.

President Ursula von der Leyen has been personally paying attention to this issue and is setting up a panel of experts to figure out if an EU-wide ban is desirable and tenable.