France’s social media ban on under-15s 'likely ineffective'

A proposed ban on social media for under-15s in France would fall short of ensuring children stay safe online, a digital rights expert has warned.

In July, parliament approved a bill to stop under-15s from using social media apps, but suffered a setback in August when the legislation was blocked by France’s highest legal authority, the Conseil constitutionnel. It ruled the ban would infringe on children’s freedom of expression and communication.

President Emmanuel Macron said the government would provide a new draft of the bill, with the aim of bringing the reform into force by spring 2027.

However, Lisa Dittmer, researcher on children’s digital rights at Amnesty International, told The Connexion that making social media companies more accountable would be a better way to tackle the dangers.

“Platforms are putting children at risk through their reckless pursuit of engagement and children’s attention,” she said.

Impact on children

Amnesty International’s research has shown TikTok in France is pushing vulnerable children towards depressive and suicidal content. 

“President Macron is right to prioritise the issue, but the ban for under-15s will fail to prevent many children from encountering these harms.” 

What is needed, she said, is a “political shift” towards enforcing design change that would make social media platforms less addictive and give users real, active choices over their engagement instead of “putting users in autopilot mode”.

France’s reform is largely a symbolic gesture, she said. 

“The government does not have enforcement powers. European law puts the European Commission in charge of overseeing large online platforms and so President Macron’s initiative promises a quick solution without addressing the harm that children continue to be exposed to.” 

Why a ban may not work

While supporters of a ban argue it could result in children spending less time online, Ms Dittmer said the experience of Australia, which became the first country in the world to ban social media for under-16s in 2025, shows bans fail to achieve this.

“Data from Australia’s internet regulator shows that eight in 10 under-16s continue to use social media accounts and most of them are on social media just as frequently as before.

“Children and young people are demanding change, they want better platforms, but simply trying to lock them out is not a viable solution. Either they find ways to stay on the platforms, or they migrate to less regulated spaces, such as smaller platforms or games, where they are equally exposed to online risks.”

However, she acknowledges that the "disproportionate" power of Big Tech makes any change difficult.

“Regulators are struggling to enforce change even where there is political momentum. But there is power in greater public awareness and widespread support for change. The key is to turn this demand into concrete proposals for a regulatory shift towards specific safety standards that would keep children and all of us safer online.” 

Some concerns around France’s proposed ban are principled, others are more pragmatic, Ms Dittmer said. 

“Young people have a right to participate online, to express themselves and seek information and community.

“Teen bans ignore these rights, but they also fail on practical grounds. Children find lots of ways around the age assurance tools that are needed to enforce them. These tools also raise discrimination and privacy risks.”

“Any storing of hard identifiers would also make them an attractive target for hacking and leaks, making individuals’ data susceptible to misuse.”

The French government had made it clear that social media platforms themselves would be responsible for checking ages if a ban came into force.

The most straightforward solution would be to scan an official identity document, but there are fears teenagers could use those of an older relative, and concerns about the privacy of personal data.

Other methods discussed include the France Identité app and a service provided by Docaposte, a subsidiary of La Poste, which manages the digital learning environments used by students in schools. Private third-party applications are also being developed.

A more effective solution

The most effective protection against the current dangers of social media would be regulation that targets harmful practices and enforces better data protection,” said Ms Dittmer. 

“Robust European safeguards are needed to ensure platforms stop exposing users to harm through their relentless pursuit of user engagement and exploitation of people’s personal data. 

“Many of TikTok’s greatest dangers, for instance, are linked to the platform’s hyper-personalised infinite feed of videos that play automatically and can lead children into rabbit holes of harmful content.

“We could ban this form of profiling and… invite people to make conscious choices about what they want to watch instead of constantly being nudged to engage more through auto-play, notifications and never-ending feeds.”

Parents must also be supported to understand online dangers, the greatest of which is “leaving children alone with the harms they may encounter online”. 

Ms Dittmer said: “We should accept that children are curious and that they will grow up in a world in which we can no longer truly separate our online and offline lives, so we need to keep them safe in both worlds.”