France's Parliament on Tuesday approved legislation prohibiting children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms, making it the first European Union member state to adopt a nationwide age-based restriction of this kind. The law also prohibits mobile phone use in high schools.
The legislation, backed by President Emmanuel Macron's government, now awaits review by France's Constitutional Council before it can take effect. Macron has said he wants the measures implemented before the start of the September 2026 school term, although the constitutional review could delay the timeline.
Under the legislation, social media companies must confirm the ages of their users and stop children under 15 from opening or keeping accounts. The regulations are expected to cover platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, X, Reddit, as well as social networking functions embedded in certain gaming services. Educational and scientific reference sites will not be subject to these rules.
France's communications regulator, Arcom, will oversee enforcement. Platforms are expected to introduce age-verification systems for new accounts by September, with full compliance required by January 2027. The government has not yet detailed the final age-verification mechanism, which must comply with European Union data protection regulations.
The bill was first approved by France's National Assembly earlier this year before undergoing revisions following discussions with the European Commission to ensure compatibility with the EU's Digital Services Act. It received final approval from both houses of Parliament on Tuesday.
Some lawmakers opposed the legislation, arguing it could raise constitutional concerns, affect online anonymity and prove difficult to enforce. The Constitutional Council is expected to examine the law before it comes into force.
France's move follows similar efforts in other countries to regulate children's access to social media. Australia introduced a nationwide ban on social media use for children under 16, while several European countries, including Ireland, Spain, Denmark and Greece, are considering comparable measures. The European Parliament has also called for a bloc-wide minimum age for social media access, although such regulations remain the responsibility of individual member states.
