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France to ban social media for under-15s

A teenager holds her smartphone displaying a logo "ban under 15". The phone screen is black with a crossed out 15 in the middle of it. The person is blurred in the background and the phone is held in front of them facing the camera.Getty Images

The new law will mean you must verify your age to use social media

From January 2027, under-15s in France will not be able to use social media.

That's because France's parliament has approved a new law that will come into place early next year.

The law will mean everyone in France must verify their age to access social media.

The government there says it's hoping it will keep people safer online, but not all politicians agree about the ban.

So, what happens next?

In France, from September people under 15 will not be able to open accounts.

Age verification will be required on all new accounts. That means you will have to prove you're old enough to use social media.

In January 2027, this rule will apply to all accounts even if they're not new.

That means everyone in France will have to prove they are over 15 to use social media.

But it has been reported in France that some concerns have been raised over privacy, how well the age-verification tools will work and how quickly the ban has been designed and brought in.

French Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff defended how quickly the law will be implemented, saying, "age-verification tools already exist".

What about in the UK?

France is the first country in Europe to block young people from the platforms, but it's something lots of places are looking at doing.

In June, former British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced under-16s in the UK will also be banned from social media from January 2027.

The proposed rules would apply to platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Facebook, but messaging apps such as WhatsApp are not expected to be included.

A person holding an orange mobile phone.Getty Images

Australia banned social media for under-16s in 2024

France is only the second country in the world to introduce a ban.

You might remember that Australia banned social media for under-16s back in 2024.

So how has that been going? Is the ban working there?

Well, those are questions a lot of people have been asking.

Research suggests that some people there still have access to the apps.

The law in Australia says it's not parents or children that will get punished for ignoring the ban but social media companies, who could face fines of up to £25m for serious or repeated breaches.