Teens underwhelmed by France's social media ban

Teens and tweens were split Tuesday over a looming ban on social media for under-15s in France

Teens and tweens were split Tuesday over a looming ban on social media for under-15s in France, with some admitting the risks of overuse while others laughed off the measure and vowed to dodge it.

France's National Assembly passed a bill in a marathon overnight session that would impose a minimum age for using social media, becoming the first country in Europe to follow Australia, which banned under-16s from TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and other sites last year.

Parents keen to curb their kids' phone use cautiously welcomed the measure, which was championed by French President Emmanuel Macron and must now pass the Senate.

The legislation's targets themselves were divided, with some acknowledging the dangers social media can bring and others venting their incomprehension and plotting ways to get around a ban.

Esther, a high school student in Paris, said the idea was "super" on paper.

"But the problem is, when (kids) turn 15, they're going to get submerged by this wave. That's the year you start high school, and you need to be focussing on other things besides social media. They should ban it for under-14s instead," she said.