France enforces social media ban for minors under 15

The law prohibits users under 15 from creating new accounts starting September 1, with existing profiles facing restrictions by January 2027. While President Macron frames the move as a necessary step to reclaim control over the digital lives of teenagers, the aggressive timeline has triggered significant skepticism regarding implementation. Officials have yet to clarify which specific platforms fall under the scope of the ban or how companies will reliably verify the ages of millions of users without compromising privacy.

This hardline stance places Paris at odds with the European Commission’s recent guidance, which favors regulating addictive design features—such as infinite scrolling and targeted algorithms—rather than enforcing age-based entry barriers. Socialist MP Arthur Delaporte and other critics argue that the government ignores the "gradual access" approach preferred by EU regulators, who are currently pressuring giants like Meta to redesign their platforms for safety. By opting for a total lockout, France is gambling on a legislative fix for a problem that Brussels maintains requires deep architectural changes from Big Tech.