France edges closer to prohibiting social media access for those under 15.

      Update | 21 July 2026, final vote

      French lawmakers gave their final parliamentary approval to the bill on Tuesday, as the National Assembly adopted the compromise text that the joint committee had agreed upon the day prior. According to French procedure, the Assembly holds the ultimate authority, and this vote transforms a measure that had been stalled between the two chambers into law, pending only final formalities. The agreed text eliminates the Senate's proposal for a blacklist of harmful services with parental consent, which lawmakers deemed likely to conflict with EU law, in favor of a complete ban on social networks for those under 15. New accounts would be prohibited starting 1 September, with a grace period of roughly four months for existing accounts, and the existing ban on phones in schools and colleges would extend to high schools. Gabriel Attal, leader of the Ensemble group, referred to the vote as “an immense victory.”

      What remains is less about voting and more about infrastructure and courts. Left-wing groups have indicated they might seek a review from the Constitutional Council regarding the ban's proportionality. The EU notification window still needs to run its course, and age-verification systems—an aspect that no one has yet effectively resolved—must be developed before the school year begins.

      The original article, published 20 July 2026, follows below.

      A cross-party committee in France’s Parliament approved a compromise bill on Monday that would prohibit children under 15 from using social media, advancing one of Europe’s most extensive online safety measures toward a final vote before lawmakers go on summer break. The text is set to return to both chambers this week, reflecting Australia’s ban for those under 16 and a broader European trend towards keeping younger teenagers away from major platforms. The joint committee, which included seven members from the National Assembly and seven senators, resolved a months-long dispute concerning the extent of the ban and which services it would include.

      This agreement paves the way for votes as early as Tuesday, coinciding with EU lawmakers considering a bloc-wide age limit. The bill would restrict access to Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube for individuals under 15, and would require platforms to implement age-verification systems approved by France’s privacy regulator. Additionally, it would prohibit smartphones in high schools, extending a restriction already in place for younger students.

      The primary issue had been the scope of the ban. The National Assembly advocated for a blanket ban on all social networking services, while the Senate favored a more limited blacklist. Reports indicate that the committee ultimately sided with the Assembly's broader approach. Under the compromise, the government’s digital minister will create a list of covered services, with exceptions for online encyclopedias, educational and scientific directories, and open-source software platforms.

      The details of the age-verification methods—the most contentious aspect of such legislation—were not clearly detailed. Timing is a concern, as lawmakers aim to complete voting before the summer break, but the measure reportedly cannot take effect until 10 August, when a mandatory EU notification period concludes. This leaves a narrow window between the final vote and the start of the autumn term, with any delays in either chamber risking a schedule that could extend beyond the school year that President Macron aims for.

      President Emmanuel Macron has expressed his support for the ban and wishes for it to be implemented by the beginning of the school year in September. His office has positioned it as potentially one of the last significant reforms of his presidency, which concludes next year. “Banning social media for those under 15: this is what scientists recommend, and this is what the French public is overwhelmingly calling for,” Macron stated earlier this year when the National Assembly first passed the text by a vote of 130 to 21. He emphasized that children’s minds should not be "for sale, neither to American platforms nor to Chinese networks."

      Not all lawmakers are convinced, however. When the Assembly first supported the text in January, hard-left lawmakers criticized certain aspects as violations of civil liberties, and concerns regarding how the state would regulate access without inadvertently affecting adult users have persisted throughout the bill's progression.

      The proposal has also encountered challenges with Brussels. The European Commission previously indicated that the draft was not entirely compatible with EU law, citing overlaps with the Digital Services Act, which prompted French lawmakers to amend it before the recent vote. France will not be acting in isolation; Australia implemented the world’s first under-16 ban in December, targeting the same platforms. However, initial trials of its age verification checks have already revealed vulnerabilities in such systems.

      Further momentum is building across Europe. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has expressed support for EU-wide restrictions on children’s access, and the EU is preparing its own age-verification app, despite warnings from privacy advocates that reliable, low-intrusion checks remain elusive.

      For now, the French bill remains a proposal rather than law. It must pass through both chambers, survive the EU notification period, and