Ban on social media for under-15s: the foundations of a new social norm.

Platforms’ responsibility at the heart of the scheme

Speaking on France Inter, Justine Atlan, the Association’s Chief Executive, welcomed this key milestone. Young children’s access to social media can no longer be regarded as a minor issue. The responsibility of platforms must remain at the heart of the system, so that services can be designed to suit the different age groups of their users. Age verification is, in this respect, the cornerstone of the digital majority, provided that it serves to confirm a single piece of identity information – the user’s age – without leading to systematic identification or the disproportionate collection of personal data. The protection of minors and respect for privacy need not be mutually exclusive.
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In *La Croix*, Samuel Comblez, Deputy Director-General of the Association and a child and adolescent psychologist, pointed out in particular that young people are not naive about the risks they face online, but are often the first to call for greater protection and tools to deal with platforms designed to capture their attention.
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In *Le Parisien*, Inès Legendre, Head of Advocacy at the e-Enfance / 3018 Association, emphasised that social media can also offer young people spaces for socialising, creativity and self-expression. She pointed out that a ban must be accompanied by a genuine change in the way platforms are designed, so as to offer safer and more protective services for all age groups and spaces tailored to their social needs.
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The next steps, particularly at European level, will therefore be crucial in setting out the practical arrangements for implementing the legislation, ensuring its effectiveness and, ultimately, promoting a harmonised approach across the European Union.

This law must serve as a real catalyst for social media and, more broadly, for all digital platforms, so that they can finally offer models that are genuinely suited to children’s development and protection. The digital world must be a place where they can flourish.

This also involves strengthening digital literacy to help them better understand how to use them, recognise instances of abuse or violence, and know who to turn to when they encounter a problem online.

Frequently asked questions about the ban on social media for under-15s

Who is affected by this law?

The text adopted by Parliament provided for a ban on access to social media for children under the age of 15. Digital platforms were also required to put in place measures to verify the age of their users.

However, On 14 August 2026, the Constitutional Council struck down the provisions introducing this ban. They will therefore not come into force in their current form.

Which social media platforms are involved?

The legislation adopted by Parliament was intended to cover a wide range of social media services and features accessible to minors, including platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and X.

Its particularly broad scope was one of the points raised by the Constitutional Council: the ban could apply to services where the risks to the health and safety of minors were not necessarily established.

As the scheme had been rejected, No general ban on social media for under-15s will apply on this basis at the start of the 2026 school year.

Is there currently a ban on social media for children under 15?

No. Following the Constitutional Council’s decision of 14 August 2026, the general ban provided for in the legislation adopted by Parliament cannot come into force.

That does not, however, mean that the matter has been shelved. A new draft of the legislation has been announced with a view to striking a better balance between the protection of minors, respect for fundamental freedoms, the protection of privacy and the European framework.

At what age can children use social media these days?

There is therefore, as things stand, no general prohibition under French law preventing all children under the age of 15 from accessing social media on the basis of this Act.

In particular, access conditions continue to depend on the specific rules of each platform, which generally set a minimum age of 13 for registration in their terms and conditions of use. In France, however, this threshold does not constitute a «numerical majority»: Before the age of 15, where the processing of personal data is based on consent, such consent must, in principle, be given jointly by the minor and a person with parental responsibility. From the age of 15, a minor may give consent to this type of personal data processing on their own.

Do parents need to give their consent?

The provision that was struck down provided for a general ban on children under 15, and the role of parental consent was one of the issues surrounding its implementation.

The Constitutional Council noted, in particular, that the text did not take sufficient account of the diversity of minors’ circumstances and their family environments.

The details of any future regulations will therefore need to be set out in a new piece of legislation.

What’s going to happen now?

The Constitutional Council’s decision does not call into question the aim of better protecting minors from the risks associated with social media, but it does require a review of the measures adopted.

Following this decision, the President of the Republic asked the Government to work towards a new, legally sound version, taking into account both constitutional requirements and the European framework.

The debate over the minimum age for accessing social media, the responsibilities of platforms and age-verification systems is therefore set to continue.