PARIS--France has moved to become the first country in the European Union to prohibit children under the age of 15 from accessing social media, after both houses of Parliament approved legislation placing responsibility for age verification and enforcement on online platforms.
The measure, strongly supported by President Emmanuel Macron, was approved by the National Assembly on Tuesday, July 21, by a vote of 279 to 81, following its passage by the Senate earlier in the day. The legislation must now be reviewed by France’s Constitutional Council before it can be implemented.
Under the proposed timetable, children under 15 would be blocked from creating new social media accounts beginning September 1, 2026. Platforms would then have four months to identify and close existing accounts belonging to users below the age limit, with the restriction applying fully to those accounts from January 2027.
The ban would apply to major social media services, including platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. Online encyclopedias, educational and scientific directories, open-source software platforms and certain digital projects with an educational purpose would be exempt.
The legislation does not propose penalties for children or their parents. Instead, social media companies would be required to verify the ages of users and prevent those under 15 from opening or maintaining accounts.
French Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff said age-verification technology already exists, while additional tools remain under development. She said the responsibility for applying the restriction would rest with the platforms and gave assurances that personal information collected during the verification process would be protected.
The European Commission has also developed an age-verification application that France and other EU member states have begun testing. France has been among several countries, including Greece and Spain, advocating for stronger European restrictions on children’s access to social media.
The final legislation represents a compromise reached following months of disagreement between France’s Senate and National Assembly.
The Senate had initially supported a two-level system under which platforms considered particularly harmful to children would be placed on a prohibited list. Other platforms could have remained accessible with parental permission. Senators argued that a complete prohibition risked being declared unconstitutional or conflicting with European law.
However, lawmakers later agreed to return to a general prohibition, with limited exceptions, after discussions with the European Commission and consideration of wider European proposals for the protection of children online.
Some lawmakers and digital-rights advocates have raised concerns about the speed of implementation, the protection of personal information, the reliability of age-verification systems and the possibility that young users could bypass the restrictions.
Supporters argue that stronger regulation is needed because of the potential effects of social media on children’s mental health, development, attention and exposure to online harassment.
France’s public health authorities previously warned that platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram could negatively affect adolescents, particularly girls. However, health officials have also cautioned that social media should not be treated as the only explanation for declining mental health among young people.
Macron has repeatedly made the proposed ban a central part of his child-protection agenda. He has argued that children should have more time for education, family, friendships, reading and sports before being exposed to the pressures and algorithms associated with social media.
The legislation also includes a restriction on mobile-phone use in French high schools. The government is seeking to have that provision take effect at the beginning of the new school year in September.
France’s decision is expected to be closely watched across Europe as governments consider how to balance child protection, privacy, parental responsibility and access to digital services.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently advocated for children to be given phased and gradual access to social media, while the Commission continues examining the possibility of a broader EU approach.
France is reportedly among approximately 20 countries that have proposed or introduced measures restricting children’s use of social media.
Australia became the first country to introduce a national social media age restriction when it required major platforms, including TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat, to remove accounts held by children under 16 or face substantial financial penalties. France’s measure uses a lower minimum age of 15 and places no penalties on children or their parents.
The French government intends to begin implementing the new system once the Constitutional Council completes its review and any required regulations are adopted.
This article is based on reporting by AFP published by The Guardian, together with information from the French Senate and the Office of the President of France.
