FRANCE BANS SOCIAL MEDIA FOR UNDER-15S, A FIRST IN THE EUROPEAN UNIONCOMPARATIVE VIEW
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The French parliament gave final approval to a law setting a "digital age of majority" at 15, by 243 votes to 2 in the Senate and 279 to 81 in the National Assembly. New accounts will be barred from 1 September 2026 and existing under-15 accounts closed on 1 January 2027, with age verification falling on the platforms. France becomes the first EU country to take the step, following Australia.
🇧🇪 Belgium vs 🇵🇰 Pakistan
FRAMING GAP
18/100LOW
Belgique: Brussels is gauging the difference between French law and its own Flemish threshold, set lower at 13 years, as it awaits a… — Pakistan: Islamabad is gauging the gap between France's firm stance and its own legislative shortcomings, following two unsuccessful…
Here are the main framing differences identified between media coverages.
ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY
BELGIUMDOMINANT ANGLE
Brussels is gauging the difference between French law and its own Flemish threshold, set lower at 13 years, as it awaits a harmonized European initiative.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- •The Belgian government notes that the French Parliament adopted the law on Tuesday with 279 votes in favor and 81 against, set to take effect in September, a first in the EU.
- •Belgians are aware that the Flemish government had already announced in April a threshold of 13 years for "harmful social networks", lower than the French threshold of 15 years.
- •Belgique will be interested to see the European Commission's announcement that it will present a proposal for a harmonized minimum age for social networks across the EU after the summer.
BIASES
Belgium's coverage primarily focuses on the French decision, with limited independent analysis on the concrete application in Belgium.The Belgian perspective favors comparing age thresholds, such as the 13-year-old age limit in Flanders versus the 15-year-old age limit in France, over a detailed assessment of the technical feasibility of age verification.There is scant coverage of the debate on freedom of expression and the risk of censorship in Belgian articles, despite being a present issue in the broader discussion.
PAKISTANDOMINANT ANGLE
Islamabad is gauging the gap between France's firm stance and its own legislative shortcomings, following two unsuccessful attempts to impose a similar restriction on Pakistani minors.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- •Pakistan's government is closely watching the legislative developments in other countries, such as France, where the French Senate approved a text with 243 votes in favor and two against, ahead of its expected adoption by the National Assembly
- •The Punjab Assembly has passed a resolution calling for federal age verification through the PTA, but it remains non-binding due to a lack of provincial authority, a situation that Pakistan's authorities are working to address
- •Pakistan has already attempted to introduce legislation through the Social Media (Age Restriction for Users) Bill in the Senate in July 2025, but so far, no text has been adopted
BIASES
A comparative framework between France and Pakistan: Pakistan's government uses the French law as a benchmark to assess its own legislative progressPreference for institutional sources (Senate, Punjab Assembly, PTA) over associative voices or young users' opinions in Pakistan's capital, IslamabadLimited coverage of age verification technical issues raised by the French side (tools, data protection), treated as secondary in Pakistan's national viewpoint
BELGIUMDOMINANT ANGLE
Brussels is gauging the difference between French law and its own Flemish threshold, set lower at 13 years, as it awaits a harmonized European initiative.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- •The Belgian government notes that the French Parliament adopted the law on Tuesday with 279 votes in favor and 81 against, set to take effect in September, a first in the EU.
- •Belgians are aware that the Flemish government had already announced in April a threshold of 13 years for "harmful social networks", lower than the French threshold of 15 years.
- •Belgique will be interested to see the European Commission's announcement that it will present a proposal for a harmonized minimum age for social networks across the EU after the summer.
BIASES
Belgium's coverage primarily focuses on the French decision, with limited independent analysis on the concrete application in Belgium.The Belgian perspective favors comparing age thresholds, such as the 13-year-old age limit in Flanders versus the 15-year-old age limit in France, over a detailed assessment of the technical feasibility of age verification.There is scant coverage of the debate on freedom of expression and the risk of censorship in Belgian articles, despite being a present issue in the broader discussion.
PAKISTANDOMINANT ANGLE
Islamabad is gauging the gap between France's firm stance and its own legislative shortcomings, following two unsuccessful attempts to impose a similar restriction on Pakistani minors.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- •Pakistan's government is closely watching the legislative developments in other countries, such as France, where the French Senate approved a text with 243 votes in favor and two against, ahead of its expected adoption by the National Assembly
- •The Punjab Assembly has passed a resolution calling for federal age verification through the PTA, but it remains non-binding due to a lack of provincial authority, a situation that Pakistan's authorities are working to address
- •Pakistan has already attempted to introduce legislation through the Social Media (Age Restriction for Users) Bill in the Senate in July 2025, but so far, no text has been adopted
BIASES
A comparative framework between France and Pakistan: Pakistan's government uses the French law as a benchmark to assess its own legislative progressPreference for institutional sources (Senate, Punjab Assembly, PTA) over associative voices or young users' opinions in Pakistan's capital, IslamabadLimited coverage of age verification technical issues raised by the French side (tools, data protection), treated as secondary in Pakistan's national viewpoint