Parliament prepares to ban social media for those under 15

Paris – 21 July 2026: The French Parliament is facing the final adoption of a law intended to ban minors under the age of 15 from accessing social networks. On Tuesday, the National Assembly and the Senate will consider a compromise reached by their joint conciliation committee. With the approval of both chambers, France could become the first European country to legally establish a general minimum age of 15 for these services.

On 20 July, the conciliation committee agreed on a version close to the broader approach of the National Assembly. The ban is generally intended to cover all social networks, rather than only a group of platforms deemed high-risk by the authorities. The role initially envisaged by the Senate for the media and digital regulator Arcom in drawing up such lists was removed from the compromise.

The bill was initiated by MP Laure Miller; in January 2026, the National Assembly adopted it at first reading, and at the end of March the Senate passed it with amendments. The document combines the age restriction with other measures to protect minors. These include a ban on mobile phones in upper secondary schools, after corresponding rules had already entered into force for primary and middle schools. The political rationale primarily cites sleep disruption, concentration problems, cyberbullying and the spread of inappropriate content.

President Emmanuel Macron is insisting on practical implementation from the start of the school year in September 2026. In a statement on 15 June, he initially proposed banning access to new accounts for people under the age of 15, while existing accounts were to be closed later. However, the current parliamentary text formulates a broader access ban. Therefore, a considerable amount of technical work remains to be done between the legislative objective and universal enforcement.

The decisive factor will be reliable age verification without platforms collecting disproportionate amounts of personal data. France has already had rules on digital adulthood since 2023, though their practical effectiveness has remained limited. Major platforms, most of which are located outside France, would need to adapt their registration and monitoring procedures. It also remains unresolved how to prevent circumvention through false age declarations or the use of foreign services.

An additional factor is the legal framework of the European Union. On 7 July, the European Commission raised objections to parts of the originally notified French version because it defined Arcom’s powers over platforms too broadly and could affect the single internal market. The agreement of the parliamentary conciliation committee removes precisely these disputed supervisory elements. At the same time, the European Digital Services Act remains decisive for the obligations of major platforms and cooperation among national authorities.

Thus, the vote on 21 July will primarily decide the political principle, rather than the question of immediate technical reality. Even if finally adopted, publication of the law, definition of specific requirements for service providers, and legally robust design of age verification will follow. The government may seek entry into force in September; whether the ban will then already be effective and uniformly applicable depends on these still unresolved steps.