It's now official: on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, the Parliament approved, at the National Assembly, the ban on social media for young people under 15. This measure is set to take effect from September, making France the first country in Europe to take such an initiative. « France is leading the way in Europe, being the first country to establish a digital age limit to better protect our children online », said Anne Le Hénanff, the delegated minister in charge of Digital Affairs.
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A broad implementation over four months
« This text will give our children back the youth that was taken from them », declared Laure Miller, a deputy from Ensemble pour la République, who introduced this text. The measure is set to take effect on September 1st, as President Emmanuel Macron wishes, for new accounts, and starting January 1, 2027, for already existing accounts, allowing four months for the various platforms to implement user age verification measures. As a result, it will be impossible for anyone under 15 to create an account on social media. Thus far, the platforms affected have not yet been named. In addition to this measure the ban on mobile phones in high schools.
Je m’y étais engagé, c’est désormais voté : les réseaux sociaux seront interdits aux moins de 15 ans à la rentrée. Merci aux parlementaires. Au Conseil constitutionnel de statuer puis place à l’action pour rendre cette mesure concrète et protéger nos enfants en ligne. pic.twitter.com/jC79unxX67
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 21, 2026
A text that sparks debate
The adoption of the text, however, was not unanimous. The deputy from La France insoumise, Louis Boyard, notably claimed that « this text is not applicable. They tried it in Australia. Two-thirds of young people found a workaround ». Anne Le Héanff also argued that « we, the French, will all have to prove our age for four months. If we are under 15, the account will be closed ». And in response to concerns about data protection, the minister clarified that « there is no storage or transfer of data ». Several age verification options should be e... .are offered to users.