French Parliament approves social media ban for children under 15
France’s Parliament has approved legislation prohibiting children under 15 from accessing social media and requiring platforms to verify users’ ages.
The French Parliament gave final approval on 21 July 2026 to legislation banning children under 15 from accessing social media services. France is the first EU member state to approve a nationwide restriction of this kind.
The measure received 243 votes in favour and two against in the Senate. The National Assembly then approved it by 279 votes to 81.
The restriction will apply to new social media accounts from 1 September 2026. Platforms will have four additional months to identify and close existing accounts belonging to users under 15, bringing those accounts within the ban from 1 January 2027.
Social media companies will be required to introduce age-verification systems approved by France’s data protection authority, CNIL. The legislation exempts online encyclopaedias, educational and scientific directories, and certain open-source software and educational platforms.
President Emmanuel Macron supported the legislation as a measure to protect children from harmful content, compulsive use and other risks associated with social media. The law forms part of a wider European debate over whether governments should establish minimum ages for access to major platforms.
The legislation has also raised questions about implementation. Age checks may require platforms to process information about all users, including adults, while children could attempt to bypass the rules or move to services that are harder to regulate. The law may also face legal scrutiny over its compatibility with constitutional rights and EU rules.
Why does it matter?
The measure shifts responsibility from parents and children towards social media companies, which will have to prevent underage access rather than simply state a minimum age in their terms of service.
Its implementation will test whether age-verification systems can enforce a national restriction without collecting excessive personal information or preventing legitimate access. The results are likely to influence similar proposals under consideration elsewhere in Europe.
