French lawmakers vote to ban social media for children under 15

Tuesday 27 January 2026 - 08:00

By: Sahili Aya

French lawmakers vote to ban social media for children under 15

French lawmakers have approved a bill banning access to social media platforms for children under the age of 15, marking a significant step in the country’s efforts to protect young people online. The measure, adopted overnight by a large majority, is strongly supported by the government and President Emmanuel Macron, who described the vote as a major milestone.

The legislation aims to shield adolescents from the harmful effects of excessive social media use, including risks to mental health, sleep disruption, and exposure to inappropriate content. The president emphasized that children’s attention and emotions should not be exploited by digital platforms driven by commercial interests.

The bill must now be examined by the Senate in the coming weeks. If it is definitively adopted, France would become one of the first countries in Europe to introduce such strict age-based restrictions, following a similar move recently taken by Australia.

According to the government, the ban would apply from the 2026 school year for new accounts, while a reliable age-verification system for all users, including existing accounts, would be implemented by early 2027. Educational platforms and private messaging services would not be affected by the ban.

Debates in Parliament revealed differing views among lawmakers. Some criticized the measure as overly paternalistic or too simplistic, while others argued that it was necessary given mounting evidence linking social media use to anxiety, cyberbullying, and attention disorders among teenagers. Further adjustments to the text are expected as discussions continue at the national and European levels.