France Passes Law Banning Under-15s from Social Media, First in Europe

France's parliament has approved a law banning children under 15 from social media, making it the first European country to impose a nationwide restriction of this kind. Both the National Assembly and the Senate adopted the measure on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, despite opposition from some left-wing lawmakers.

The ban will roll out in two phases. From September 1, 2026, under-15s will be barred from creating new social media accounts, and platforms will be required to verify the age of all new users. From January 2027, the rule extends to existing accounts meaning every social media user in France, regardless of age, will have to prove they are at least 15 to keep using the platforms. Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff put it plainly: "If someone is under 15, the account will be closed."

Platforms will be required to use age-verification tools approved by France's data protection authority, CNIL, and the minister has given assurances that users' personal data will be protected in the process.

The law also bars mobile phones from high schools starting next year, extending a restriction that has applied to French primary and middle schools since 2018. Encyclopedias, and educational or scientific directories, are exempted from the social media restriction.

President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the vote as a "major step forward," framing it as part of a pledge to protect French children and teenagers before the end of his presidency. The push follows a finding earlier this year by France's public health watchdog that social media has harmful effects on teenagers' mental health, particularly among girls, as well as a fatal school stabbing last year that intensified public pressure for action.

France becomes only the second country in the world, after Australia, to introduce a nationwide social media ban for children. Australia's ban on under-16s took effect in December 2025, though early evidence there suggests many children have continued accessing the platforms despite the restriction a precedent critics of the French law have pointed to in questioning its enforceability. Opponents, including lawmakers from the left-wing France Unbowed party, have argued the bill's constitutionality is unclear, that it would effectively end online anonymity in France, and that determined teenagers will simply find ways around the age checks or migrate to less-regulated platforms.

The measure arrives as other European governments move in the same direction.

The United Kingdom has announced plans to ban under-16s from social media starting in January 2027, and the European Commission is examining further measures to strengthen child protection online across the bloc.

Mustapha Bature Sallama.
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal investigation and Intelligence Analysis.

International Conflict Management and Peace Building.USIP

mustysallama@gmail.com
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References / Sources
BBC News "France passes law banning under-15s from social media” https://bbc.in/4wgoJmv

France 24 "'Major step forward': French lawmakers approve social media ban for children under 15" https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260721-french-lawmakers-expected-to-pass-social-media-ban-for-children-under-15

Al Jazeera "French parliament passes social media ban for under-15s" https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/21/french-parliament-passes-social-media-ban-for-under-15s

CBS News "France becomes first European Union country to ban social media for kids under 15" https://www.cbsnews.com/news/france-social-media-ban-under-15s-first-in-eu/

Digital Watch Observatory "France adopts law banning under-15s from social media" https://dig.watch/updates/france-social-media-ban-under-15

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