France Bans Social Media for Children Under 15

France's parliament has approved a law banning social media for children under the age of 15, effective from January 2027. With this move, France becomes the first European country to close these platforms to the younger generation. The law will require mandatory age verification for every social media user in France.

France has taken this bold step at a time when the United Kingdom and the European Union are also considering their own restrictions, driven by concerns over children's mental health. French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed the decision, which he had pledged to implement before the end of his decade-long tenure.

Although there are doubts about the law's enforceability, the government claims that online age-verification tools are safe and effective. On Tuesday, the French Senate and the National Assembly adopted the ban, despite criticism from left-wing politicians.

The law will be implemented in two phases. From next September, children under 15 will not be able to create new accounts, and all new accounts will require age verification. Subsequently, from January 2027, the rule will apply to all existing accounts—meaning everyone residing in France will have to prove they are over 15 to use social media.

According to a Reuters report, social media platforms will be required to use age-verification tools approved by the French privacy regulator. However, questions remain over privacy protection and the risk of young people finding ways to bypass the rules. French Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff argued in favour of rapid implementation, stating that age-verification tools already exist.

France is the second country, after Australia, to introduce such a ban. Professor Tama Leaver from Curtin University told the BBC that, from a technical standpoint, Australia's ban on under-16s has failed. However, he believes it has successfully demonstrated that such a ban is possible, though he described it as a kind of experiment.

According to Leaver, young people should be included in the discussion so that the ban does not feel like something imposed upon them.

Meanwhile, restrictions on young people's social media use are tightening across Europe. Last June, former UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that social media would be banned for under-16s from January 2027.

Additionally, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed restricting social media use for children and has indicated that new legislation could be introduced within the coming months.