France's parliament has approved a law banning under-15s from social media from January 2027, making it the first European country to impose such a restriction. The move, championed by President Emmanuel Macron, requires everyone in France to verify their age to use social media, and arrives as the UK and EU develop their own child protection measures amid concerns about young people's mental health.

The Senate and National Assembly adopted the ban on Tuesday despite criticism from some on the left, with implementation staged in two phases: from September, under-15s will be barred from opening new accounts, with age verification required for all new sign-ups; from January 2027, the requirement extends to all existing accounts. Platforms will need to use age-verification tools approved by France's privacy regulator, though critics have raised concerns over privacy, the reliability of verification methods, and the pace of the law's introduction. France follows Australia, whose under-16s ban has seen widespread circumvention, with experts noting France's universal verification requirement may improve its chances of success but could heighten privacy risks.