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Macron wants to introduce a law in France that would be the first of its kind in Europe. It would prohibit minors under 15 from using social media and ban mobile phones at secondary schools.
Social media plan
The French government has prepared a brief two-article law, expected to be introduced in early January just after the holiday recess. It would expressly ban online platforms providing social networking to children younger than 15. The French government has drafted a concise two-article bill, which is expected to be presented in early January, just after the Christmas recess. This would explicitly ban online platforms from providing social networking services to children under 15.
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, has backed the plan. He argues that teens under 16 years old lack the emotional maturity or brain development necessary to deal with so-called harmful material. According to the report, risks include depression and cyberbullying as well as sedentary living styles, sleep disruption, and sedentary habits. The bill extends restrictions on mobile phone use in primary and middle school to high schools.
Arcom is France’s audiovisual regulator. The French audiovisual and digital regulator, Arcom, will be responsible for enforcement. move Adds to prior efforts. A 2023 law that requires parental consent for those under the age of 15 was also passed, but a stricter ban outright had previously been blocked due compatibility concerns.
Australia is the first country to ban social media for children under 16 years of age. Early issues are emerging
Australia was the first nation to set a social media age restriction of 16 years old. The limit applies to platforms like TikTok (a mobile video app), Instagram, Facebook X, Snapchat and Reddit.
Non-compliance with the law can result in fines of up to A$49,5 million. Children or parents are not subject to any penalties.
Initial results have been mixed. Many accounts have been removed, yet reports suggest that some teenagers are bypassing facial age estimation software. Meta deactivated all underage accounts, despite the fact that there was a rule prohibiting underage account holders. Others were criticized for inconsistent enforcement. The ban has been criticized for privacy concerns and the use of VPNs to circumvent the law. However, public support is still high with 77 percent of respondents supporting the ban. The Australian eSafety Commissioner is monitoring complianceWithin two years, an independent review is expected.
Other European countries are looking at similar restrictions on social media for 2026
Macron’s commitment to leading Europe’s implementation of the proposal is part of a larger European trend that seeks to protect teenagers from harmful social media. Denmark was able to achieve cross-party consensus in 2025 for a ban on under-15s accessing certain platforms. This could become law by mid-2026. They intend to verify using the Danish national eID.
Germany is examining a possible ban and a report from a committee will be available in the autumn of 2026. Italy has proposed restrictions to under-15s. Spain is working on a bill that would require parental or guardian consent for those under 16.
The European Parliament adopted a non-binding Resolution in November 2025, advocating an age minimum of 16 years without parental consent. It also called for a stronger enforcement of the Digital Services Act The DSA is designed to protect minors.
In 2026, could we see the end of teenage text neck and a return to shared activities and face-to-face communication in Europe? Will the ban simply drive young social media users into hiding where they can’t be monitored or protected. In the early days of Australia’s ban, some teenagers complained about the restrictions. rioted The government has denied that there is any connection between the violence and connectivity, which ran amok in a Woolworths branch in Sydney, and in a shopping center in Sydney.
