France has become the first European nation to adopt legislation prohibiting social media use for minors under 15 years old. The measure was approved by both chambers of parliament, the Senate and National Assembly, on Tuesday, with backing from President Emmanuel Macron, who had previously pledged to introduce the restriction during his tenure in office.
The ban will be implemented in two phases. Beginning in September, users under 15 will be prohibited from creating new accounts, with age verification required for all fresh account registrations. The second phase commences in January 2027, at which point the requirement will extend to existing accounts, obligating all social media users in France to demonstrate they are at least 15 years old to maintain access to the platforms. Social media companies will be required to employ age-verification tools that have received approval from France’s privacy regulator.
While government officials, including Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff, have defended the viability and speed of implementation by citing the existence of established age-verification technology, various concerns have surfaced regarding the proposal. Critics have raised questions about privacy protections, the effectiveness of age-verification systems, the likelihood of minors circumventing restrictions, and the compressed timeline for policy development and rollout.
France follows Australia, which introduced an under-16 social media ban in December. However, evidence suggests Australia’s restriction has encountered challenges in practice. According to that nation’s eSafety Commission, approximately seven out of ten children under 16 who held accounts prior to the ban continued to maintain some form of access to platforms afterward. Academic observers have noted that while Australia’s ban demonstrated such restrictions can be enacted, questions remain about technical enforcement and whether alternative approaches involving young people in policy discussions might yield better outcomes.
The French legislation reflects broader regulatory momentum across Europe. In June, the United Kingdom announced plans to implement an under-16 social media ban effective January 2027, alongside an optional midnight curfew for teens aged 16 and 17. Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a “social media delay” for European children in May and indicated that new regulations could be introduced within months.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI