When Gaëlle Berbonde’s daughter got her first smartphone in seventh grade, her family had no idea of the digital dangers. Within months, the teenager fell into severe depression and anorexia, ultimately spending a year and a half in the hospital. Stories like this have fueled a growing global movement against the harmful effects of digital content, leading France to become the first country in the European Union to pass a blanket ban on social media for children under the age of 15.
The legislation, passed on Tuesday by both chambers of the French Parliament, represents a key initiative of President Emmanuel Macron’s second term. In addition to restricting social media access, the new law bans the use of mobile phones in high schools. It comes at a time of rising public concern; several French families have recently sued TikTok, claiming the platform’s content was linked to their teenagers' suicides.
"We have no other option, no other way to counter tech giants," said Berbonde, who supported the bill. "The only thing we can do is protect our children, just as we protect them from drinking alcohol."
French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed his desire for the ban to take effect in September, at the start of the new school year. However, the law faces a review to ensure it complies with the French Constitution, which could delay its implementation. The ban will also not apply to online encyclopedias, or educational and scientific directories.
Critics and advocates alike point out the immense challenges of enforcing such a law. Lawmakers from the left-wing party France Unbowed opposed the measure, arguing that it is unconstitutional, would end online anonymity, and is practically impossible to enforce. Ines Legendre, a legal adviser for the online protection group e-Enfance, noted that the law will not immediately result in an absolute ban. She raised questions about how platforms will identify and suspend existing accounts belonging to children under 15, and how age verification will work for new users.
The scale of screen usage among French youth is substantial. According to France’s health watchdog, half of all teenagers spend between two and five hours daily on their smartphones. Furthermore, 90% of children aged 12 to 17 use smartphones daily to access the internet, and 58% of those use them for social media. The watchdog warned that this high exposure is linked to lower self-esteem, self-harm, and exposure to content promoting suicide and drug use.
To ensure the bill did not clash with the EU's Digital Services Act—which governs internet safety across the bloc—French lawmakers negotiated and amended the text on Monday before the final vote.
France is not alone in its efforts to limit children's digital access. In 2024, Australia became the first nation to ban kids under 16 from social media, introducing fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($35 million) for non-compliant platforms. Across Europe, Spain, Denmark, Greece, and the United Kingdom are considering similar restrictions, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for EU-wide limits on features like infinite scrolling.