France is moving forward with a major new law to ban social media access for children under the age of 15, set to take effect from September 1, 2026, if the draft legislation is approved by parliament. The government’s proposal is part of broader efforts to reduce the perceived harms of digital platforms on young people’s wellbeing and school performance.
The draft bill would prohibit online platforms from providing social media services to minors under 15, effectively blocking access to networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube for that age group. It also proposes extending mobile phone bans in classrooms from primary and middle schools to include high schools under the same timeline.
French President Emmanuel Macron has championed the plan, saying it’s designed to protect children from the negative effects of excessive screen time, exposure to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and altered sleep patterns linked to heavy social media use. The government says numerous studies support these concerns and that stronger age limits are needed beyond current parental-consent rules, which have been hard to enforce.
Under the proposal, the French audiovisual and digital communication regulator (ARCOM) would be responsible for enforcing the ban. The draft legislation is expected to be submitted for legal review before being debated in the French parliament early in 2026, with government leaders aiming for approval in time to apply the law at the start of the 2026–27 school year.
Macron has also indicated support for broader European action on minimum age limits for social media access, pointing to similar trends in other countries like Australia — which recently implemented a ban for under-16s — and growing pressure from lawmakers in the European Parliament to set EU-wide standards.
The initiative enjoys strong public support in France, with recent opinion polls reporting a large majority in favor of stricter age limits. However, actual implementation will depend on parliamentary approval and ongoing debates about digital rights, parental responsibility, and enforcement of age verification online.
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