France becomes the first EU country to ban social media for under-15s
France's National Assembly has passed a ban on social media for children under 15. Platforms will have to verify age in the future. The country follows Australia's example, while critics question data protection and feasibility.
By a large majority, the French National Assembly voted for a ban on social media for under-15s, making France the first EU country with such an age limit. Platforms are to check users' ages using EU-compliant procedures; exceptions apply for encyclopedias and educational offerings, for example, and no penalties are foreseen for children or parents, as Die Zeit and the Süddeutsche Zeitung report. Supporters point to cyberbullying, declining self-esteem and content about self-harm; the German Center for Mental Health calls, according to Deutschlandfunk, for a statutory limit in Germany too and describes the evidence as robust. The BBC places the step within the international trend since Australia introduced a ban for under-16s in late 2025. Critics, above all on the left, warn of data-protection risks from age verification, the speed of implementation and easy circumvention. It is contested whether technical age checks can work reliably and in line with fundamental rights. Their effectiveness against the psychological strains also remains disputed.