France becomes first EU nation to ban social media for under-15s

France becomes first EU nation to ban social media for under-15s

French lawmakers approved groundbreaking legislation on Tuesday that prohibits children under 15 from using social media, positioning France as the first European Union country to enact such comprehensive restrictions amid growing global alarm over the impact of digital platforms on young users.

Both chambers of Parliament voted to pass the measure, a cornerstone policy of President Emmanuel Macron's second term that also extends existing mobile phone bans to high schools. The legislation will be enforced by Arcom, France's audiovisual and digital communications regulator, and is expected to apply to all major social media platforms.

The ban will roll out in two stages. Starting September 1, 2026, children under 15 will be blocked from creating new social media accounts. The restriction will then extend to existing accounts from January 2027, when the law takes full effect. Macron aims to have the measures operational for the upcoming school year, though constitutional review could delay implementation.

Legal action drives momentum for change

The push for stricter regulation gained urgency after sixteen French families filed complaints against TikTok over teen suicides they attribute to harmful content on the platform. The legal action, which began with seven families in November 2024 and expanded to include five families whose daughters died by suicide, has galvanized public support for protective measures.

Gaëlle Berbonde, a 52-year-old Paris-region resident whose daughter struggled with self-harm, anorexia and depression after joining TikTok in seventh grade, welcomed the legislation.

We've been campaigning for this bill from the start because, frankly, we have no other option, no other way to counter tech giants.

she told The Associated Press. Her daughter spent 18 months in hospital but has since recovered.

Part of broader digital safety strategy

The new law builds on France's existing digital restrictions in education. Mobile phones have been banned in French primary and middle schools since 2018, with the current legislation now extending that prohibition to high schools. The measure also follows a 2023 French law requiring social platforms to obtain parental consent for under-15s to create accounts, though technical challenges have prevented effective enforcement.

Data from Arcom underscores the scale of youth engagement with digital platforms. According to France's health watchdog, one in two teenagers spends between two and five hours daily on smartphones, with some 90% of children aged 12 to 17 using smartphones to access the internet. Among this age group, 58% use their devices for social networks, spending an average of 1 hour and 21 minutes per day on TikTok alone.

Health authorities have documented numerous harmful effects from social network use, including reduced self-esteem and increased exposure to content promoting self-harm, drug use and suicide.

International context and EU coordination

France's action follows Australia, which became the first country globally to ban social media for children under 16 in December 2024. That law, which took effect on December 10, 2025, imposes fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (approximately $35 million) on platforms that fail to comply.

The French legislation is part of a broader European movement toward stricter age restrictions. Spain, Greece, Denmark and the United Kingdom are planning to impose minimum age limits for social media use, with Spain considering a ban for under-16s. The European Commission has urged Member States to implement age verification solutions by December 31, 2026, and is developing an EU Digital Identity Wallet to provide a standardized, privacy-preserving method for online age verification.

After the European Commission identified overlaps between the bill and the EU's Digital Services Act, French lawmakers held final negotiations Monday and reached agreement on an amended version that was then submitted for the final vote.

Implementation challenges ahead

The ban will not cover online encyclopedias, educational or scientific directories. However, enforcement presents significant challenges, according to Ines Legendre, a legal advisor for the online protection group e-Enfance.

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.

Opposition lawmakers from the left-wing party France Unbowed voted against the bill, arguing its constitutionality remains unclear, that it would effectively end online anonymity, and that enforcement would prove impossible. A constitutional review is likely before the law can be implemented.

The legislation represents one of the final major measures adopted under Macron's presidency before he leaves office in April 2027, following the suspension of his government's flagship pensions reform last year.