France Becomes First Country in the European Union to Ban Children from Social Media

Articles | July 21, 2026 | by Catholics for Catholics

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The French law adds momentum to a growing global push to protect minors online.

By Catholics for Catholics

For the first time lawmakers in France, a member of the European Union, voted Tuesday to ban social media for minors under 15 years of age, in a quest to add to the impetus of a growing worldwide effort to restrict and protect children online.

According to a story by the Daily Wire, both chambers of Parliament voted in favor of the comprehensive ban, giving a major policy victory to French President Emmanuel Macron. The legislation also includes limitations on mobile phones in high schools, according to the Associated Press.

The ban is significant in France: One in two French teenagers spends between two and five hours a day on a smartphone, according to the Associated Press, which quoted a government watchdog report showing that about 90% of children ages 12 to 17 use cellphones daily for internet access.

Under the new law, children below 15 will be excluded from opening social media accounts starting September 1, according to Reuters. Subsequently, social media platforms will have four months to close existing accounts and must implement age-verification systems. 

🇫🇷 France has officially become the first country in Europe to ban social media for children under 15.

The ban takes effect on September 1, 2026 for new accounts and January 1, 2027 for existing users.

Platforms will require age verification through an ID card, FranceConnect,… pic.twitter.com/aROVvB0PXT

— Europa.com (@europa) July 21, 2026

About six-in-ten American adults approve of banning anyone under the age of 16 from using social media sites, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. 

Australia became the first nation to ban children under 16 from creating accounts on many social media platforms in December 2025. 

“We haven’t really seen a plan like this be put into action,” said Jessica Melugin, the director of the Center for Technology & Innovation at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. “So I think the world is certainly watching.”