France has approved landmark legislation that makes it the first European Union nation to ban social media for children under the age of 15. The French parliament overwhelmingly passed the measure with a 279 to 81 vote, establishing a strict new regulatory framework for youth online safety.
Beginning in September, children under 15 will be barred from creating new accounts on popular social media platforms, including TikTok and Snapchat. According to the legislation, any existing accounts belonging to children under this age limit will be blocked starting in January 2027. Additionally, the new law mandates that social media platforms implement robust age verification checks to enforce the restrictions, though exemptions will be granted for educational platforms and online encyclopedias.
The legislative package also extends restrictions on physical devices. Starting next year, high school students in France will be prohibited from having mobile phones at school. This builds on existing rules that already ban phone usage in the country's elementary and middle schools.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised the passage of the law, calling it a landmark moment. "France is leading the way in Europe when it comes to protecting our children and teenagers," Macron stated. The initiative aligns with his focus on online child safety, which has become a signature issue of his final years in office. Macron, who will mark a decade in power next year, is barred from running in the upcoming national election in April due to France's two consecutive term limit.
The push for the ban follows a warning from France's public health watchdog earlier this year, which concluded that social media platforms have a detrimental impact on the mental health of teenagers, particularly girls. The policy also fits into a broader effort by France and several of its European Union partners to establish "digital sovereignty." This strategic initiative aims to reduce Europe's reliance on American and Chinese technology corporations, promote European alternatives, and enforce stricter regulations on the digital economy. As part of this wider strategy, France and Germany recently unveiled plans to build an alternative to military software provided by the U.S. firm Palantir, while France's domestic intelligence service terminated its contract with the American company earlier this year.
Despite the overwhelming parliamentary support, the legislation has drawn significant criticism. Opponents argue that enforcing the ban will be highly challenging, questioning whether current age-verification technologies are sophisticated enough to block young users. Critics point out that tech-savvy teenagers can easily circumvent the restrictions by utilizing virtual private networks (VPNs), entering false birth dates, or using accounts set up by older friends and family members.
Privacy advocates have raised concerns that more stringent age verification checks will require users to surrender sensitive personal information. Furthermore, some warn that the ban might simply drive young people toward less regulated, darker corners of the internet rather than decreasing their overall screen time.
Maya Thomas, a legal and policy officer at the British advocacy group Big Brother Watch, warned of the wider implications of such policies. "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 for all users of all ages," Thomas said. She pointed to international precedents, adding, "We have already seen in Australia that a social media ban can easily be circumvented, with some children even bypassing age gates by drawing on fake moustaches. Governments wishing to tackle the harmful business practices of social media companies must do so by regulating the companies directly, not by imposing restrictions upon their users."
Indeed, Australia's experience has fueled skepticism regarding the effectiveness of blanket bans. Australia became the first nation to enact such a restriction when it banned children under 16 from social media at the end of 2025. However, data from Australia's internet regulator in March revealed that approximately 70 percent of surveyed parents reported their children remained active on the platforms after finding ways to bypass the age-gating systems.
Nevertheless, France is unlikely to remain the only European nation to take this path. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently supported the momentum, stating last week, "It is clear we need age-appropriate restrictions to platforms." Additionally, the United Kingdom announced plans last month to implement its own ban on social media accounts for children under 16, set to take effect in January 2027.
With its recent vote, France becomes only the second country globally to pass a nationwide social media ban for children. As more than a dozen other nations—including Canada, Denmark, and Malaysia—contemplate their own legislative restrictions on youth social media access, governments worldwide will be closely watching the French experiment to see if an outright ban can be successfully enforced.
Md. Kazi Bijoy is a dedicated tech enthusiast and content creator with a passion for digital innovation. With years of experience in the tech industry, he specializes in breaking down complex topics into easy-to-understand guides. When he isn’t writing, he explores the latest gadgets and researches emerging trends in the digital world.