French Senators Approve Social Media Ban for Children Under 15
French Senators have officially approved a bill that bans social media access for children under the age of 15. As concerns continue to grow globally regarding the impact of social media on the health and safety of minors, France is taking definitive legislative action to protect its youth.
Assuming the lower house of parliament adopts the draft legislation later on Tuesday as expected, France will follow in the footsteps of Australia. In December, Australia implemented the world's first nationwide ban for under-16s across major platforms, including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
Establishing a "Digital Majority"
"France opens the way by being the first country in Europe to adopt a digital majority," Anne Le Hénanff, the junior minister for AI, told senators during the proceedings.
President Emmanuel Macron has been a staunch supporter of the initiative. In April, he publicly urged young people to switch off their screens and focus on reading to become better citizens. Macron is pushing for this new law to be fully in place in time for the start of the next academic year.
How the Ban Will Be Enforced
Under the new legislation, a strict timeline and compliance framework will be established:
September 1: Children younger than 15 will be legally barred from opening any new social media accounts.
Account Closures: Social media platforms will be given a four-month grace period to identify and close any pre-existing accounts held by users under the age threshold.
Age Verification: Platforms will be legally required to implement robust age verification systems explicitly approved by the French privacy regulator.
While social media platforms generally oppose blanket bans—often arguing that they already maintain age restrictions and safety measures—they have historically pledged to comply with governments that legally enact such restrictions.
A Broader European Movement
The movement to regulate youth social media access is not isolated to France. The European Commission is currently working on its own comprehensive regulations designed to rein in social media platforms across Europe to better protect young people. Ultimately, the Commission will have a say on whether France's newly approved bill respects existing European legislation.
"We left you in this jungle and it robbed you of your attention," Macron told teenagers at an event in April, speaking candidly about the current lack of rules on social media. "We need to slow down and help you become adults, and above all citizens. That's why what we want to do is say that before 15 years old, no more social media."
As the legislation moves toward its final adoption, it sets a powerful precedent for digital regulation, shifting the responsibility of online safety directly onto the platforms themselves.