A small legal tremor in Paris is already rippling here in the Mediterranean. As France edges toward a historic ban on social media for children under 15, the question is no longer whether digital childhood needs guardrails but how firm those guardrails should be, and who should build them.
On Monday 26 January, the French National Assembly approved, at first reading, a bill that could redraw the boundaries of adolescence online in France. Championed by MP Laure Miller, the proposal follows months of scrutiny by a parliamentary inquiry into the psychological effects of TikTok on young users, scrutiny that reads less like a policy brief and more like a public health warning.
Childhood, Algorithmically Interrupted
The inquiry’s findings paint a stark picture: children slipping through porous age gates, algorithms feeding emotionally charged or sexualized content, and monetization systems nudging minors not just to watch, but to spend. In a televised interview with TVMonaco, an expert summed it up bluntly: age limits exist largely on paper. In practice, children younger than 13 roam platforms designed to capture attention, time, and sometimes money, long before they have the emotional tools to cope with what they see.
This is not merely about screen time. Neuroscientists across Europe increasingly warn that constant algorithmic stimulation can amplify anxiety, distort self-image, and shorten attention spans during key developmental years. Studies from Germany and Scandinavia have linked heavy adolescent social media use to sleep deprivation and increased vulnerability to cyberbullying, risks that multiply when content moderation fails.
The Law That Aims to Slow the Scroll
Backed publicly by President Emmanuel Macron, the French bill is unapologetically muscular. New social media accounts for under-15s would be blocked from the start of the 2026 school year. By January 2027, systematic age verification would become mandatory across platforms. Non-compliance would be costly, penalties reaching up to 6% of a platform’s global turnover, a figure designed to get Silicon Valley’s attention.
Among the inquiry’s 78 recommendations, several stand out: tighter oversight of influencer revenues, clearer accountability for recommendation algorithms, and a single reporting portal to simplify the removal of harmful content. Ten of these measures are expected to be fast-tracked, signaling a shift from digital optimism to digital realism.
Monaco: Small State, Big Screen Time
The debate already resonates strongly in Monaco, where connectivity is near-universal and youth digital habits mirror those of larger nations. According to a 2024 ESPAD survey, nearly 64% of Monegasque high school students spend between two and five hours a day on social media.
The Principality has already taken decisive steps. Since the 2025 school year, smartphones have been banned from Year 6 through high school classrooms, a move aimed squarely at addiction, distraction, and cyberbullying. Early feedback from educators suggests calmer classrooms and more face-to-face interaction, small but telling victories in a larger cultural shift.
A European Template in the Making?
France’s approach may also become common rather than an exception. Spain is exploring age verification for teen accounts. The Netherlands is testing digital “cool-down” features to interrupt endless scrolling. Even at the EU level, discussions are intensifying around harmonized age verification systems that respect privacy while actually working.
For Monaco, adaptation rather than imitation may be the key. With its compact size and strong regulatory culture, the Principality could pilot stricter influencer supervision, centralized reporting tools, or cross-border cooperation with European regulators, measures scaled to its population but aligned with continental standards.
Beyond Bans: Redefining Digital Childhood
Critics warn that prohibition alone risks pushing young users toward unregulated corners of the internet. Supporters counter that the goal is not to ban childhood curiosity, but to buy time, time for maturity, for education, for healthier digital habits to form.
What is clear is that the era of “connect first, regulate later” is ending. As France redraws the map of adolescence online, Monaco too and much of Europe, stand at a crossroads. The screen is not going away. But the rules of engagement are finally being rewritten.
