France’s parliament has approved a law banning social media access for people under 15, making it the first European country to formally block young people from the platforms. The law will require everyone in France to verify their age before accessing social media and comes as the United Kingdom and the European Union work on their own restrictions in response to concerns over the impact of social media on children’s mental health.
The legislation will roll out in two stages. Starting in September, people under 15 will be barred from opening new social media accounts, and age verification will be required for all newly created accounts. From January 2027, the rule will extend to existing accounts as well, meaning every person in France will need to prove they are over 15 to continue using social media. Once fully in effect, platforms will be required to use age verification tools approved by the French privacy regulator. Both the French Senate and National Assembly adopted the ban, despite criticism from some lawmakers on the left.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the law’s passage, having pledged to introduce the measure to mark the end of his decade in office. French Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff defended the pace at which the legislation moved forward, arguing that age verification tools already exist and are ready for implementation. Even so, concerns have been raised over privacy implications, the practical effectiveness of age verification systems, the risk of young people finding ways around the restrictions, and the speed with which the law has been designed and brought into force.
France becomes the second country to introduce such a ban, following Australia’s under-16 social media restriction that took effect in December. Despite that ban, reports indicate many young people in Australia have continued accessing the platforms regardless, with the country’s eSafety Commission finding in March that seven out of ten children under 16 who had a social media account before the ban still retained some form of access. A professor of internet studies at an Australian university said the Australian ban had largely failed on its technical aims, though it demonstrated that such a ban could be implemented at a national level. France’s requirement for universal age verification across all users, rather than relying on self reporting, may give its version a higher chance of achieving its aims, though this approach also raises greater privacy concerns. Additional risks associated with these kinds of bans include pushing young people toward less regulated online spaces and reducing their exposure to news and civic engagement through mainstream platforms.
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