France Passes Social Media Ban for Under-15s
The French National Assembly has approved a bill banning social media use for children under the age of 15. Following the vote, President Emmanuel Macron described the decision as “an important milestone.” Macron emphasized that children should not be turned into “commercial targets” by digital platforms and stated that the regulation aims to protect young people from online risks. Government officials have also indicated that the law will be one of the flagship reforms of Macron’s second term.
If the bill is also approved by the Senate, France will become the second country after Australia to introduce a social media ban of this scale for minors. Australia enacted a similar ban for children under 16 in December. In France, the ban is planned to take effect for new accounts in the 2026–2027 academic year, while a comprehensive age verification system covering all users, including existing accounts, is expected to be implemented by January 1, 2027.
The regulation prohibits access to online social networking services for users under 15, while exempting certain educational platforms. In addition, private messaging applications such as WhatsApp are excluded from the ban.