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Rabat – The French government is preparing legislation that would bar children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms, with the measure set to take effect at the start of the 2026 school year.
The draft bill is expected to come before parliament in early 2026.
The proposed text would make it illegal for online platforms to offer social networking services to users under 15 as of September 1, 2026.
In its explanatory note, the government points to mounting scientific evidence linking excessive screen exposure among adolescents to a range of risks, including harmful content, online harassment, and sleep disturbances.
The age restriction would be incorporated into the Law for Confidence in the Digital Economy, with oversight entrusted to Arcom, the authority responsible for regulating audiovisual and digital communications. The regulator would be charged with ensuring platforms comply with the new rules.
The bill also addresses mobile phone use in schools. It seeks to extend existing restrictions to high schools, building on a 2018 law that banned phones from nursery school through middle school, a measure that has faced practical challenges in enforcement.
The president has repeatedly identified youth access to social media as a political priority. He said in early December that parliamentary discussions on the bill could begin as soon as January.
Later that month, the minister delegate for artificial intelligence and digital affairs described the draft as deliberately concise and designed to align with European regulations, particularly the Digital Services Act.
Previous efforts in this direction have stalled. A law adopted in July 2023 that aimed to establish a digital age of majority at 15 never entered into force due to unresolved issues at the European level.
The government’s initiative comes amid a broader legislative push to regulate minors’ online activity. In January, lawmakers are also due to consider a separate proposal introduced by the parliamentary group led by Gabriel Attal.
The Senate recently approved a bill requiring parental consent for 13- to 16-year-olds seeking to join social media platforms.
As debates continue, the proposed ban shows growing political momentum in France to tighten controls on children’s exposure to social networks, while raising questions about enforcement and compatibility with European digital law.
