French lawmakers on Tuesday approved a landmark bill banning children under the age of 15 from using social media platforms, making France the first European Union country to adopt such a restriction.
The legislation, which received overwhelming backing in parliament, now awaits President Emmanuel Macron’s signature to become law. The measure is expected to take effect at the start of the new school year in September.
Reacting to the vote, Macron announced on X that social media would be prohibited for children under 15 from the coming school year, thanking lawmakers for supporting the legislation.
The French leader has consistently argued that stronger safeguards are needed to protect children online.
“The brains of our children and our teenagers are not for sale,” Macron said in a video message released in January. “The emotions of our children and our teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, neither by American platforms nor by Chinese algorithms.”
Macron had earlier directed his government to fast-track the legislation to ensure it was in force before schools resume in September.
The law makes France the first EU member state to impose a nationwide minimum age of 15 for social media use, following similar moves in other countries. Australia became the first country globally to introduce a social media ban for users under 16 last year, while the United Kingdom has announced comparable restrictions expected to take effect next year. Spain, Greece and Denmark are also considering minimum age requirements.
French authorities are yet to specify how social media companies will verify users’ ages. However, the government has pledged to introduce age-verification measures to support enforcement. Australia’s legislation requires platforms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent underage users from opening or maintaining accounts.
In addition to restricting access, the new law prohibits advertising that promotes social media platforms to children, including influencer marketing. It also requires advertisements for social media services to display the warning: “Dangerous products for children under 15.”
Enforcement of the law will be handled by Arcom, France’s audiovisual and digital communications regulator, with the rules expected to apply to all major social media platforms.
According to Arcom, French children aged between 12 and 17 spend an average of one hour and 21 minutes daily on TikTok. The regulator has expressed concern that the platform’s recommendation algorithm often promotes increasingly extreme content, exposing teenagers to harmful and anxiety-inducing material.
Social media companies, however, maintain that they already have measures in place to protect young users from harmful content.
