France passes law banning under-15s from social media
Published: 22/07/2026
| EURACTIV
French lawmakers have approved a national social media ban for children under 15, establishing the country as the EU frontrunner in setting digital age restrictions for teenagers. The legislation prohibits under-15s from creating new social media accounts as of 1 September, with the ban extending to existing accounts from 1 January 2027. In addition, the law expands existing mobile phone restrictions in primary and middle schools to cover most high schools.
The French data protection authority, the CNIL, will oversee and evaluate tech companies' age verification systems.
The move comes ahead of anticipated EU-wide measures on youth social media use expected from the European Commission in September.
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