The French government is preparing a bill that will ban children under the age of 15 from accessing social media starting September 1, 2026, at the beginning of the new school year. This was reported by leading French media outlets.
President Emmanuel Macron, who has repeatedly called protecting children from the harmful influence of screens and social media one of his priorities, supports this initiative. In his New Year’s addresses, he stressed the need to “protect our children and teenagers from social media and screens.”
The bill consists of two articles:
The first prohibits online platforms from providing social networking services to minors under the age of 15 (from September 1, 2026).
The second extends the ban on the use of mobile phones in high schools (for students aged 15–18), which has already been in effect in elementary and middle schools since 2018.
The new rules will be enforced by the regulator Arcom (Autorité de régulation de la communication audiovisuelle et numérique). Previous attempts to introduce strict restrictions (including the law on “digital adulthood” at 15 years of age from 2023) faced problems of compatibility with European law, but the current draft has been designed to be “short and compatible” with the DSA (Digital Services Act) regulations.
The initiative was inspired by Australia’s experience as the first country in the world to ban social media for children under 16 (the law came into force in December 2025). France is also joining the trend, with similar measures being discussed in Denmark, Norway, and Malaysia.
The public generally supports the idea: according to a 2024 Harris Interactive poll, 73% of French people are in favor of banning social media for children under 15.
The bill will be considered by the Council of State on January 8, 2026, and then by parliament. If it is passed, France will become one of the first European countries with such a strict ban.