Social media ban for under-15s approved by French parliament
France has become the first European Union country to pass a law banning children under 15 from using social media platforms, after the National Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of the measure this week. The legislation passed with 234 votes to 19, a margin that signals just how broad the political consensus behind the move really is.
What the law actually does
Under the new rules, platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat will be required to verify the ages of their users. Any child under 15 wanting to create an account will need explicit parental consent — and tech companies, not parents, will bear the burden of enforcing that. Firms that fail to comply could face fines of up to 1% of their global annual turnover. That’s a number large enough to get the attention of even the biggest Silicon Valley giants.
Still, critics have raised a familiar question: how, exactly, do you prove how old someone is online?
A first for the EU — and a signal to others
France is leading the way here, but it’s unlikely to be alone for long. Several other EU member states have been watching closely, and the vote in Paris may well accelerate similar debates in Brussels and beyond. Philippe Coen, a lawyer and founder of the NGO Respect Zone, welcomed the vote but cautioned that implementation would be the real test. “The law is a strong signal,” he said, “but a signal alone won’t protect children. The platforms have to actually act.”
And that’s the crux of it.
Tech companies on notice
Platforms have until the start of 2025 to put age verification systems in place. French authorities haven’t spelled out exactly which technical methods will be acceptable, leaving companies some room to maneuver — though regulators have made clear that simply asking users to tick a box confirming their age won’t cut it anymore. That approach, used widely for years, has long been seen as little more than a fig leaf.
Advocates for the law point to a growing body of research linking heavy social media use among adolescents to anxiety, depression, and disrupted sleep. France’s government cited studies suggesting that children spend an average of three hours a day on social platforms. For younger teenagers, those numbers are often even higher.
What comes next
The legislation now heads to the Senate, where it’s expected to pass without major obstacles. President Emmanuel Macron has publicly supported the measure, describing the internet as a space where children need “real protection, not just theoretical protection.”
Whether the law will survive legal challenges from tech industry groups remains to be seen. But for now, France has drawn a line. Other governments will be watching to see whether it holds — and whether it actually keeps children safer, or simply pushes them toward workarounds that no law has yet figured out how to close.
