France Becomes First European Country to Ban Social Media for Under-15s

France's parliament has approved a law banning social media for under-15s from January 2027, making it the first European country to block young people from the platforms outright.

The law will require everyone in France to verify their age to access social media. It arrives as the UK and the EU develop their own limits in response to concerns about children's mental health, and it will be watched closely as a test of whether such a ban can actually be enforced.

President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed the move, which he pledged to introduce to mark the end of his decade in office. Both the Senate and the National Assembly adopted the ban on Tuesday, despite criticism from some on the left.

The rollout comes in two stages. From September, under-15s will not be able to open accounts, and age verification will be required on all new accounts. From January 2027 the rule extends to existing accounts, meaning every social media user in France will have to prove they are over 15.

Once the ban is in force, platforms will need to use age-verification tools approved by the French privacy regulator, according to Reuters. Sceptics have questioned the law's viability, but the government insists the tools needed to implement it are effective and safe. Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff defended the speed of implementation ahead of the vote precisely "because age-verification tools already exist", Agence France-Presse reported.

Concerns have been raised about privacy, the effectiveness of verification tools, the ease with which young people may bypass them, and how quickly the law was drafted and passed.

The most instructive precedent is Australia, which banned under-16s from social media in December. It is widely acknowledged that many young Australians continue to use the platforms. In March, Australia's eSafety Commission reported that seven out of ten children under 16 who had an account before the ban still had "some access".

On that basis, Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University in Western Australia, told the BBC that the Australian ban has "failed" in its technical aims. But he said it had successfully demonstrated that a ban "can be done", and classified it as "a bit of an experiment". One lesson other countries can draw, he added, is that "young people need to be part of this conversation" so that a ban is "done with them" and not "to them".

Leaver said France's version may have a higher chance of succeeding because it requires every person, not just minors, to verify their age. That same design choice, however, increases the privacy exposure for the entire adult population. He also warned of further risks: pushing young people into less-regulated online spaces, and reducing their news consumption and political engagement.

Reported from the BBC.