France becomes first European country to ban social media for children under 15
The French parliament adopted a law on Tuesday prohibiting minors under 15 from using social networks, with the ban taking effect in September for new accounts and January for existing ones.
Parliamentary approval
On Tuesday, the French National Assembly definitively adopted the bill with 279 votes in favor and 81 against, following prior Senate approval. The law makes France the first European country to impose a blanket ban on social media for minors under 15. President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the vote, calling it a pathfinder for child protection across the continent.
France is paving the way in Europe for the protection of our children, our teenagers. We will continue.
Implementation timeline and age verification
The ban takes effect in two stages: new account creation will be blocked from 1 September 2026, while platforms have until 1 January 2027 to close existing accounts held by under-15s. The law imposes no penalties on children or parents; instead, social media companies must deploy age-verification systems approved by the French data protection authority, CNIL. Minister Delegate for Digital Affairs Anne Le Hénanff told reporters that within four months every French user will need to prove their age, and accounts belonging to under-15s will be shut down. The minister responsible for information technology will draw up the list of platforms covered by the ban.
We, the French, in four months will all have to prove our age. If you are under 15, the account will be closed.
- Australia introduces world's first social media ban for users under 16
- French parliament adopts ban on social media for minors under 15
- Ban on new under-15 accounts takes effect in France
- Deadline for platforms to close existing under-15 accounts
Macron's campaign for a digital majority
President Macron has championed the measure for months, framing it as a necessary step to protect young people's development. At an event in April, he addressed teenagers directly, saying they had been left in a "jungle" that stole their attention. He urged them to put down their phones and read, arguing that slowing down would help them become better citizens. Macron has also promoted the initiative at the European Union level.
We left you in this jungle and it stole your attention. We need to slow down and help you become adults and, above all, citizens.
School phone ban
The same legislation extends the existing ban on mobile phones, already in force in primary schools, to high schools (lycées). Individual schools may include exceptions in their internal regulations.
Industry response and European ripple effects
Social media platforms generally oppose blanket bans and point to existing age restrictions and youth-protection measures, but they have committed to comply where governments legislate. France follows Australia, which in December 2025 introduced the world's first ban on social media for users under 16, covering platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. The European Commission is developing its own pan-European age-verification application, and President Ursula von der Leyen has expressed support for limiting children's access to social media across all 27 member states. The Commission will also assess whether the French law complies with existing EU legislation. Several other European countries are now considering similar restrictions.
