France has moved further than any other European Union country in restricting children’s access to major social media platforms as governments across Europe debate how to curb screen use and online harm among minors. In France, President Emmanuel Macron made the issue a signature push, arguing that social platforms should not shape children’s development without stronger legal limits. The latest step came Tuesday, July 21, 2026, when French lawmakers gave final approval to a national ban for users under 15.
France’s Parliament approves a national under-15 ban
France’s Parliament approved a blanket social media ban for children under 15 on Tuesday, July 21, according to the Associated Press, making France the first country in the European Union to adopt that kind of nationwide restriction. AP reported that both chambers backed the measure and that the law also includes a ban on mobile phone use in French high schools. Macron had publicly championed the proposal for months.
The political push became more visible on January 25, 2026, when Macron said in a video released by French broadcaster BFM-TV that “the brains of our children and our teenagers are not for sale,” according to AP dispatches carried by multiple outlets. He said he wanted the government to use an accelerated legislative process so the measure could move quickly enough to be in force for the next school year.
The legislation does not apply to every online service. AP reported that online encyclopedias, educational and scientific directories, and open-source software sharing platforms are excluded. Before the final vote, lawmakers also revised the bill after the European Commission raised concerns that an earlier version was not fully compatible with EU law.
The direct impact is national: if implemented as planned, children under 15 across France would be barred from using covered social media platforms at the start of the September school year, according to AP. French lawmakers framed the measure as a child-protection law rather than a regional pilot program, so it is not limited to Paris or any one department. Macron said after the vote that France was “leading the way in Europe in protecting our children and our teenagers,” AP reported.
What is confirmed is the parliamentary vote and the government’s intent to have the restriction apply broadly. What is not yet fully known is how enforcement will work in practice platform by platform, because EU authorities are expected to play a role in ensuring compliance with the age restriction, according to AP’s reporting on the compromise text.
There is also a timing caveat. AP reported before the final vote that, because of notification periods tied to EU procedures, the law could not be formally passed before Aug. 10. That means the political decision is settled, but some implementation mechanics, including the exact compliance framework for platforms, remain unresolved publicly.
French officials and health authorities have tied the crackdown to mental health and online safety concerns. According to AP, France’s health watchdog found that one in two teenagers spends between two and five hours a day on a smartphone. The same reporting cited a French health report saying about 90% of children ages 12 to 17 use smartphones daily to access the internet, and 58% use them for social networks.
The health concerns cited by lawmakers include reduced self-esteem and greater exposure to content associated with self-harm, drug use and suicide, according to AP. The pressure has also been shaped by litigation: AP reported that several families in France have sued TikTok over teen suicides they say were linked to harmful content. Those cases added urgency to a debate that had already been building in government-commissioned research.
The policy also builds on earlier French law. A report published by the Élysée noted that a July 7, 2023 law set the age of digital consent for social media at 15, with parental permission required below that age, but said that principle had not yet been implemented because of consistency issues with EU law. For families in France, the immediate expectation is a stricter legal framework before the September school year, while platforms and regulators work through the final enforcement details on a factual, published timetable.