Inserts:

00:03 Report | Mark Espiner
00:30 Louis Boyard | France Unbowed Party
00:44 Laure Miller | Renaissance Party

Script:

It is the first EU country to vote to ban social media for teens.

French President Emanuel Macron has championed the move and -- apparently without irony -- took to social media to celebrate the ban, thanking parliament  for what he called a "major step forward and leading the way for Europe." 

But the debate reflected doubts about how to enforce it and the limits it places on liberty. 

+++SOT+++Louis Boyard, France Unbowed Party:+++
"You know that these measures will be circumvented and that they are  inapplicable. It's an excuse, an excuse to impose the end of anonymity on the Internet..."
Supporters countered those points by highlighting the negative impact of social media use.
+++SOT SOUNDBITE (French) Laure Miller, Renaissance Party  +++
"The question before us today as politicians is who decides the mental and informational environment in which our children live. I obviously hear the argument of individual freedom. I also hear that some would like to involve the Constitutional Council on this issue of freedom. But it seems to me that the condition for freedom is having available attention time, having reliable information, and deciding what we see."

Responses have been mixed, and sometimes express considerable reflection.

VOXPOP (French) Adult: "I believe it’s very good and even a bit late; we got off to a slow start."

VOXPOP (French) Teenage girl: "I don’t know. I would like to continue to watch platform."

VOXPOP (French) Teenage boy: "At the beginning I didn’t agree cause it cuts links with my friends but on the other side when I hear the government's point of view, I believe they’re right."

Details of how the ban will be enforced have yet to be worked out, and they too will be closely watched. Britain’s government is considering a similar law; while Australian teens are already living with a ban imposed late last year.