France becomes first EU member state to approve children's social media ban

The French Parliament approved legislation 21 July blocking minors under age 15 from accessing social media platforms. The ban marks the first to be approved among EU member states, with other governments working through proposals. The European Commission is also developing proposals for EU-wide age-based restrictions and child-safety measures for social platforms.

Under France's bill, platforms will be required to verify users' ages and prevent underage users from creating accounts beginning 1 Sept. Platforms will also be expected to ban the current accounts of those under age 15 by 1 Jan. 2027.

The measures aim to protect underage users from potentially addictive algorithms, inappropriate content and other online harms. Despite overwhelming support from lawmakers for the premise of the ban, including a 279-81 vote in National Assembly and 243-2 in the Senate, age verification requirements continue to stir data protection concerns.

French President Emmanuel Macron indicated the ban is another example of France "leading the way in Europe in protecting our children and our teenagers."

"We've been campaigning for this bill from the start because, frankly, we have no other option, no other way to counter tech giants," French parent Gaëlle Berbonde told The Associated Press. "The only thing we can do is protect our children, just as we protect our children from drinking alcohol."

The bill is expected to face France's Constitutional Council within the next few weeks for a constitutionality review before final adoption and promulgation.

France's plans

Age verification mechanisms will play a key role in France's ban. Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs Anne Le Hénanff said organizations can use existing age verification tools, noting that "for four months, all of us in France will have to prove our age."

Not all platform access is off the table. Minors under 15 will still be able to access certain educational platforms and online services.

With a phased enactment in place, e-Enfance Legal Advisor Ines Legendre said enforcement will likely take time.

"We'll also have to address the issue of existing accounts for those under 15," Legendre said. "How do we identify them? How do we suspend them? And then there's the question of age verification for all new accounts that will come into effect."

The bill does not state whether noncompliant organizations will be subject to penalties. Platforms outside of France could face enforcement from the EU under the Digital Services Act.

The European Commission is also looking to propose a social media ban for users under age 13, as well as additional measures to strengthen standards to protect children online. On the potential EU ban, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen previously said in a statement, "What we already have is a consensus that there needs to be a start date for the age children can join social media," adding, "The status quo, a world where we continue to allow big tech unrestricted access to our children, will only consign another generation to more mental harm, addiction and misery."

Compared to other jurisdictions

France's bill is similar to initiatives from frameworks in Australia, Brazil, and the U.K.

Australia's under-16 social media ban has raised concerns over whether restrictions are effective. While the government has worked to delete millions of underage users' social media accounts, the BMJ said in a study, more than 80% of social media users under age 16 still had access.

The Guardian also reports Molly Rose Foundation CEO Andy Burrows previously noted the U.K. must strengthen online standards instead of implementing overall social media restrictions.

Burrows said the U.K. needs to have a "convincing strategy that properly protects children from online harm, rather than relying on a performative ban which, as this research suggests, is unlikely to improve our teens' mental health and wellbeing."

As EU member states consider similar legislation, Interface Policy Researcher Jessica Galissaire told The New York Times the bill shows that "France wants to push its own legislation to make the E.U. act, and the E.U. act fast. I see it more as a political announcement."