# France approves social media ban for children under 15 By The Current Tribune · Health · Published Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:01:46 GMT Source: The Current Tribune — https://currenttribune.com/article/france-social-media-ban-children France has passed a bill that will bar children under 15 from using social media, a move framed by the government as a health and safety measure. The France social media ban was approved by the National Assembly after the Senate had already backed the legislation, and President Emmanuel Macron has signalled a fast timeline for enforcement. ## What the law does The legislation prohibits children under 15 from accessing social media apps, including services such as TikTok, making France the first European country to impose such an age-based restriction. It also includes a separate rule to ban mobile phones in high schools, with that measure expected to take effect from the beginning of the next school year. ### How lawmakers voted The National Assembly approved the bill by 279 votes to 81 after the Senate had already given it its backing earlier the same day. President Emmanuel Macron has promoted the measure as a flagship reform of his final term, and he has pledged to enforce the ban by September. ## How the France social media ban will work Details in the bill focus on restricting access for those under 15 to major social platforms; the announcement specifically named apps such as TikTok as examples of services affected. The law pairs age-based limits with school-focused restrictions: the mobile phones ban in high schools is presented as a complementary step aimed at curbing in-class distractions and the wider impact of constant connectivity on teenagers. ### Legal and timing checkpoints Before the new rules can be implemented, the Constitutional Council must review the bill. That review is the next formal step cited by the president. Only after that review and any required administrative work will the government move to apply the measures on the promised timetable. President Macron described the vote as “a major step forward” for protecting children and teenagers and thanked members of parliament for backing the legislation. He said the Constitutional Council must now rule and that, once that is done, it will be “time to take action to make this measure a reality and protect our children online.” The president has asked for enforcement to begin as early as September. The bill is being presented as both a public-health and educational policy: its backers argue the restrictions will improve digital wellbeing for children and reduce harmful online exposure. Critics, while not quoted here, have historically raised questions about enforceability and the administrative burden of age verification; this vote, however, clears the principal political hurdle. Practical implementation will require work across government and with platform operators to ensure access restrictions and the high-school phone ban can be applied. Those operational steps and the Constitutional Council’s review will determine whether the government can meet the president’s intended schedule. ![France social media ban illustrated by a student placing a phone in a locker](/media/2026/07/france-social-media-ban-children-inline.webp) *A student secures a phone in a locker as lawmakers approve a social media age restriction.* ## International context and echoes The move places France at the front of European action on online safety for minors. The law was described in official remarks as uniquely ambitious in Europe because it outright bars under-15s from social platforms, rather than relying solely on content moderation or parental controls. The government framed the measure as part of a wider effort in Macron’s final term to address the effects of social media on young people. Alongside the social media restriction, the high-school mobile phones ban is expected to take effect from the start of the next school year, which signals a relatively quick timeline for school-level enforcement compared with broader online measures that typically need more time to implement. ### Votes, timelines and next steps With both chambers of parliament having approved the bill—Senate first, then the National Assembly—the focus now shifts to the Constitutional Council’s assessment and the executive’s implementation plans. The administration has publicly tied the enforcement goal to a September start, but the final date will depend on the council’s ruling and on setting up mechanisms for age verification and school policy compliance. ## Final Verdict The National Assembly’s 279-81 vote clears the political path for a France social media ban aimed at under-15s and a complementary ban on mobile phones in high schools. The measures mark a decisive policy turn by the government and a clear statement from the president about prioritising children’s online safety. Whether the promised September enforcement and the school-year start for the phone ban will be realised rests on the Constitutional Council’s review and the practical steps that follow.