The French Senate passed a bill on July 21, 2026 (local time) that completely bans social media use for minors under 15, ushering in Europe's first "digital adulthood" era. This marks the second country after Australia to legally restrict minors' social media use and represents Europe's strongest measure yet, expected to have significant impact on global youth digital protection policies.
The bill is expected to pass in the lower house as well, and once finally enacted, minors under 15 will be unable to create social media accounts starting September 1st when the new school year begins. To close existing accounts, social media platforms must adopt an age verification system approved by France's personal information protection supervisory body during a four-month grace period. French Minister for AI Anne-Laure Luciani stated that "France is taking a leading role in Europe by being the first to introduce 'digital adulthood.'"
The bill's promotion reflects the strong will of French President Emmanuel Macron. In April, President Macron pointed out that the absence of social media regulation deprives youth of their ability to concentrate, emphasizing, "We have left you in this 'jungle' and as a result, your concentration has been robbed," underscoring the necessity of banning social media use for those under 15.
Social media companies have expressed opposition to the complete ban but indicated they will comply when governments enact laws. France's precedent is expected to significantly influence the European Commission's efforts to establish its own regulations. The European Commission is currently working on drafting related regulations and plans to review compliance with the French bill.