France passed Europe’s first social media restrictions for minors on Tuesday (21 July), with a blanket ban for users aged under 15 – going against the EU’s advised features-based restriction.
After passing in the French senate, the vote passed with 279 in favour to 81 against on Tuesday evening in the National Assembly in Paris.
The ban, strongly advocated by president Emmanuel Macron as one of the priorities of his term, was pushed up among parliamentary priorities so as to have effect before the next school year.
“We must regain control over the lives of our children and teenagers on the web and set the digital age of majority at 15, not before,” Macron said on Instagram after the bill passed in the second house.
Those under 15 years old will be prohibited from opening new accounts from 1 September, while existing accounts are expected to be restricted by January 2027.
