France becomes first European Union country to ban social media for kids under 15

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Updated on: July 22, 2026 / 10:04 AM EDT

/ CBS News

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France has become the first country in the European Union to ban social media for children under the age of 15, after its parliament overwhelmingly approved landmark legislation by 279 votes to 81.Under the new law, children under 15 will be prevented from creating new social media accounts on platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat from September, while existing accounts will be blocked from January 2027, according to the legislation. The law will also ban students from having phones in high schools from next year, and require social platforms to introduce age verification checks. Students were already prohibited from having phones in French elementary and middle schools. "France is leading the way in Europe when it comes to protecting our children and teenagers," President Emmanuel Macron said, hailing the legislation's passage as a landmark moment. Earlier this year, France's public health watchdog concluded that social media had harmful effects on teenagers' mental health, especially girls.