France Approves Social Media Ban for Children Under 15

France has become the first country in the European Union to ban social media access for children under 15, after lawmakers in both chambers of parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of the landmark legislation. The bill, championed by President Emmanuel Macron as a flagship initiative of his final term, passed the National Assembly by 279 votes to 81 and the Senate by 243 votes to 2, according to NPR.

The Legislation

The ban covers commercial social networking services including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), with France’s media authority Arcom tasked with determining the specific list of affected platforms. Educational platforms, online encyclopedias such as Wikipedia, and scientific directories are exempt, and the legislation provides no penalties for children or parents, RFI reports.

The law will be implemented in two phases. Beginning September 1, 2026, platforms must block new account creation for users under 15, and mobile phones will be banned in high schools. By January 1, 2027, existing accounts held by under-15s must be closed entirely, CBS News reported.

Health Evidence and Public Support

France’s public health watchdog, Anses, published findings in December 2025 confirming that adolescents are “particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of social networks,” citing reduced self-esteem, exposure to risky behaviors including self-harm and suicide, sleep disruption, and cyberbullying impacts. According to the research, approximately 90% of French children aged 12 to 17 use smartphones daily, with 58% using social networks and one in two teenagers spending two to five hours per day on a smartphone, The Guardian reported.

Gaëlle Berbonde, a French parent and advocate whose daughter suffered a mental health crisis linked to social media, told the Associated Press: “We’ve been campaigning for this bill from the start because, frankly, we have no other option, no other way to counter tech giants. The only thing we can do is protect our children, just as we protect our children from drinking alcohol.”

Enforcement and Constitutional Review

Social media platforms bear the responsibility for implementing age verification using tools approved by France’s privacy regulator, CNIL. The European Commission will oversee enforcement under the Digital Services Act framework, which allows for fines of up to 6% of platforms’ annual global revenue for violations, according to the IAPP.

Before the law can take full effect, it must undergo review by France’s Constitutional Council, which could delay implementation. Ines Legendre, a legal adviser for the online protection group e-Enfance, noted significant enforcement challenges: “We’ll also have to address the issue of existing accounts for those under 15. How do we identify them? How do we suspend them? And then there’s the question of age verification for all new accounts that will come into effect.”

Political and Digital Sovereignty Context

The ban represents one of the final major domestic reforms of Macron’s presidency. He will mark a decade in office in 2027 and cannot run again due to France’s two-term limit. The legislation aligns with Macron’s broader push for European “digital sovereignty” — reducing dependence on American and Chinese technology companies.

“France is leading the way in Europe when it comes to protecting our children and our teenagers,” Macron said in a social media video. “We will keep on going.” In January, he posted on X: “Children’s brains are not for sale. Neither to American platforms nor to Chinese networks.”

Global Context and Criticism

Australia became the first country worldwide to implement a social media ban for under-16s in December 2025, though its effectiveness has been questioned. A BMJ study found that over 80% of under-16 social media users in Australia still had access, with children reportedly using tactics including drawing fake mustaches to bypass facial recognition age checks.

The UK has announced plans for an under-16 ban from January 2027, while Spain, Denmark, Greece, and other EU countries are considering similar measures. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for EU-wide restrictions, stating: “The status quo, a world where we continue to allow big tech unrestricted access to our children, will only consign another generation to more mental harm, addiction and misery.”

Privacy advocates have raised concerns. Maya Thomas, a legal and policy officer at Big Brother Watch, warned: “The global rollout of social media bans represents a serious threat to the freedom and privacy of millions of internet users across the world. Requiring users to upload sensitive ID or biometric information to access social media does not keep children safe, but does introduce serious cybersecurity and privacy risks.”

What’s Next

The French Constitutional Council is expected to rule on the bill’s constitutionality in the coming weeks. If approved, France will serve as a critical test case for the effectiveness of blanket social media bans, with governments across the world watching closely to see whether outright prohibition can achieve its intended aims of protecting children’s mental health and well-being.