The French parliament gave final approval on Tuesday to legislation prohibiting access to social media platforms for children under 15, making France the first European Union member state to enact a blanket statutory ban. The text, adopted by the National Assembly with 279 votes in favour and 81 against after earlier Senate endorsement, will take effect in two stages: from 1 September, minors under 15 will be barred from creating new accounts, while existing accounts must be closed by January 2027. The law also extends an existing prohibition on mobile phones to lycées, France’s upper secondary schools.

According to the Élysée, the measure constitutes a flagship reform of President Emmanuel Macron’s final term, which ends in May 2027. Macron described the vote as fulfilling a personal commitment, stating that France “opens the way in Europe for the protection of our children and adolescents.” The French government frames the restriction as a response to what its public health watchdog has identified as links between intensive social media use and deteriorating mental health among adolescents, including reduced self-esteem and increased exposure to content associated with self-harm and suicide. Several French families have filed lawsuits against TikTok, alleging that harmful content on the platform contributed to teenage suicides.

Within the French parliament, opposition to the law concentrated on questions of technical feasibility and constitutional compatibility. Left-wing lawmakers from La France Insoumise voted against the text, arguing that universal age verification would effectively end online anonymity and that the September deadline was unrealistic. Senator Mathilde Ollivier of the Ecologist group described the legislation as a text “for show,” questioning how a complex verification system could be operational within weeks. Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff countered that age-verification tools already exist, citing state-backed systems such as France Identité, and insisted the timeline was viable. The legislation places the onus on platforms to implement verification mechanisms, with no penalties prescribed for children or parents. Exceptions are carved out for online encyclopaedias and educational digital projects, while platforms such as YouTube and WhatsApp will be required to apply age checks only to functions comparable to a social network, such as content-sharing channels and comment sections.

Viewed from Brussels, the French move accelerates a broader European regulatory trend. The European Commission has signalled it is preparing its own proposal for “phased and gradual” access to digital platforms for minors, with a legislative initiative expected after the summer recess. At least fifteen EU member states, including Spain, Greece, Denmark and Poland, are examining similar national restrictions. Australia became the first country worldwide to impose a social media ban for under-16s in December 2025, though Australia’s eSafety Commission subsequently reported that seven in ten affected children retained some access, prompting academic assessments that the ban had “failed” in its technical aims. The United Kingdom has announced a parallel ban for under-16s, coupled with a default overnight curfew for 16- and 17-year-olds, to take effect in early 2027. The French legislation now faces review by the Constitutional Council, which could delay implementation if provisions are found to conflict with constitutional protections.