France Becomes First EU Nation to Ban Social Media for Under-15s

(WS News) – French lawmakers have approved a sweeping ban on social media use for children under 15, making France the first European Union member state to pass a blanket restriction on the platforms.

Both chambers of France’s Parliament voted in favor of the measure, a flagship initiative of President Emmanuel Macron’s second term, after negotiators reached an amended agreement following concerns from the European Commission that an earlier version overlapped with the EU’s Digital Services Act. The law will also bar students from carrying phones in high schools starting next year, building on an existing ban already in place at French elementary and middle schools. Enforcement will fall to Arcom, France’s audiovisual and digital communications regulator, with major platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram expected to introduce age-verification tools.

Arcom data cited in the debate found that French children between 12 and 17 spend an average of one hour and 21 minutes a day on TikTok alone, with regulators warning that the platform’s recommendation algorithm tends to push teenagers toward extreme and anxiety-inducing content. France’s public health watchdog concluded earlier this year that social media use carries harmful effects on teenagers’ mental health, particularly among girls, a finding that helped build political momentum behind the bill.

The move follows Australia, which became the first country in the world to bar under-16s from social media at the end of 2025, though roughly 70 percent of parents surveyed by Australia’s internet regulator in March said their children had still found ways around the age-gating systems. France’s law includes exemptions for educational platforms and online encyclopedias, and its passage reflects a broader push by Macron and some EU partners toward what they describe as digital sovereignty, aiming to reduce Europe’s reliance on foreign technology platforms while tightening regulation of the digital economy.