France’s Parliament has adopted a pioneering ban that will prevent any user under 15 years old from opening a new social‑media account from September 2026 and will require every existing account to verify the holder’s age by January 2027. The law places stringent age‑verification checks on the platforms, making them compulsory across the country.
Key Points of the Bill
- From September, new accounts may only be created by users 15 or older.
- All current accounts must be verified as belonging to users above 15 before January 2027.
- Verification tools approved by France’s data‑privacy regulator will be mandatory.
President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the move as a final feather in his decade‑long political career, while the government argued the technological infrastructure already exists to enforce the ban. Nevertheless, privacy advocates warn that mandatory age checks could expose personal data to new risks.
An expert in digital society from Curtin University, Professor Tama Leaver, noted that Australia’s earlier ban on under‑16s has allowed many young users to slip past its safeguards, effectively rendering it “failed” in a technical sense, yet “did prove the concept” can be enforced.
Hans Thomas, a child‑rights analyst, said: “Banning youngsters is a dramatic public‑policy statement, but for it to succeed the networks must involve the very youth in crafting the rules, not impose them from above.”
Other nations are watching closely. The UK announced a similar restriction beginning in 2027, while the European Commission has floated a “social media delay” for children that could roll out in the next months.
Critics highlight that blanket bans might push adolescents into less regulated platforms, diminishing their exposure to reputable news sources and limiting their civic engagement opportunities.
The legislation marks a new chapter in European child‑online protection and will likely spark further debate on how best to balance safety, privacy, and digital freedom.
