France is poised to become the first country in the European Union to ban children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms after lawmakers reached a final agreement on the legislation….
France is poised to become the first country in the European Union to ban children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms after lawmakers reached a final agreement on the legislation.
The French Parliament is expected to approve the bill on Tuesday following a compromise between the Senate and the National Assembly, despite opposition from left-wing parties.
Digital Minister Anne Le Henanff said the legislation would make France the first EU country to introduce a digital age limit aimed at protecting children online.
President Emmanuel Macron has backed the measure as one of the flagship reforms of his final term in office and has pledged to enforce it from September.
Under the law, children under 15 will be barred from creating new social media accounts from September 1, while existing accounts belonging to underage users must be suspended from January 2027.
The legislation applies broadly to social media platforms, requiring them to prevent users below the age threshold from opening or maintaining accounts. Educational websites and online encyclopaedias will be exempt.
The move follows growing concerns over the impact of social media on young peopleās mental health. Franceās public health authority has warned that platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram can be harmful to adolescents, particularly girls.
Lawmakers initially differed on how the restrictions should work. The Senate proposed allowing parental consent for some platforms while blacklisting others considered harmful. However, the National Assemblyās stricter approach, imposing a blanket ban for under-15s, was ultimately adopted.
The legislation is expected to rely on age-verification systems developed by technology companies, including tools being introduced by the European Commission.
The European Union has also been considering bloc-wide restrictions on childrenās access to social media after calls from France, Greece and Spain for stronger protections. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently said children should have only āphased and gradual accessā to social media.
If enacted, France will join a growing number of countries tightening rules on childrenās online activity. Australia became the first country to require major social media platforms to remove accounts belonging to users under 16 or face significant financial penalties.
The law could become one of President Macronās final major domestic reforms before he leaves office in April 2027.
