France has given the green light to a bill banning children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms. The French parliament approved the legislation on Tuesday evening (21/07) with 279 votes in favour and 81 against, following the Senate’s earlier approval by an overwhelming 243 votes to just 2.
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France becomes first EU country to ban social media for children under 15
France is now the first European Union member state to ban children from using social networking apps such as TikTok. French President Emmanuel Macron had pushed for the measure to be implemented before the start of the new school year in September, with the aim of protecting the mental health of minors. Macron championed the reform, pressing for its passage before the end of his term and ahead of the 2027 presidential elections.
The ban takes effect on 1 September
“We French will all have to prove our age for four months. If users are under 15, the account on the platform will be closed,” Digital Affairs Minister Anne Le Hénanff explained to reporters.
The law is set to come into force very quickly — from 1 September for new accounts. For existing accounts, the ban will apply once the age verification period expires, on 1 January 2027. Many lawmakers have expressed doubts about whether the ban can be implemented so rapidly, but the minister insisted the measure would work.
What the bill provides for
The bill also prohibits mobile phones in high schools, as is already the case in primary and middle schools, though each school’s internal regulations may allow for exceptions. No penalties are foreseen for minors or their parents; instead, it falls to platforms themselves to verify users’ ages. The European Commission presented a pan-European age verification app in April, while private-sector solutions have also been developed.
However, Socialist MP Arthur Delaporte criticised “vagueness in the age verification mechanisms” of a law he said would be implemented “hastily”, adding that his parliamentary group would likely appeal to the Constitutional Council. La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) also condemned the law, arguing it “puts an end to anonymity on the internet.”
A report by the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses) had clearly sounded the alarm over the threat social media poses to the mental health of teenagers, noted the bill’s rapporteur Laure Miller of Macron’s Renaissance party. She pointed out that certain exemptions to the ban are provided for — covering, for example, “online encyclopaedias” and “digital content of an educational nature.”
Regarding widely used platforms such as YouTube and WhatsApp, Miller clarified that these platforms will also be required to verify users’ ages, but only for the sections that resemble a social network — such as shared channels and comment sections. Simply watching videos or exchanging private messages will not be affected by the ban.
