France revives its under-15 social media plan as the EU prepares wider rules
The French proposal has been reworked after a constitutional setback, while a separate European plan could cover social media, chatbots, games and video platforms.
France has submitted a revised approach to restricting social-media access for children under 15, according to reporting published on 14 September. The renewed effort follows the Constitutional Council’s rejection of an earlier national plan. It is a proposal in progress, not a ban already operating on every child’s account.
The French debate now overlaps with a broader European one. Reuters reports that the European Commission is preparing an EU Kids Act that could cover social media, video-sharing platforms, AI chatbots and online games. The details were drawn from a Commission document seen before its formal presentation and may still change.
What the reported EU model would change
Under the reported European framework, teenagers aged 15 and over could open their own accounts. Children aged 13 and 14 could have tightly limited introductory accounts under parental control, while younger children would be restricted to child-oriented services controlled by parents. Platforms would also face age-checking, reporting and safety-design duties.
This distinction matters for French families. France’s revised notification and the planned EU legislation are connected politically, but they are separate legal tracks. Neither should be described as final law until the relevant national and European procedures are complete. The European proposal would require negotiations with member states and the European Parliament.
The unresolved questions for families
The policy argument extends beyond setting a birthday threshold. A July Commission survey of almost 5,000 children found that 72 percent favoured some form of social-media age verification. Nearly half wanted rules addressing design features that encourage longer use. Those findings show demand for safeguards, but they do not settle how verification should protect privacy or how exceptions should work.
Parents and young people should therefore watch three practical questions: which services fall within the final scope, what proof of age will be required and what control a parent will actually have. Until official texts are adopted and implementation dates are fixed, current platform rules remain distinct from the proposals now being discussed.
Sources & context
Reporting and reference material used for this article. Context sources do not independently confirm every news claim.
- Reuters: EU prepares under-15 online-access proposal ↗Independent reporting based on a Commission document seen before formal presentation; details remain provisional
- Le Monde with AFP: France submits a revised proposal ↗Independent reporting on the renewed French legal track and its constitutional background
- European Commission: children’s digital-fairness survey ↗Primary institutional context: survey method and reported attitudes, not the final legislative text
Written for WHIF from the linked material. This article does not claim on-the-ground reporting. Our editorial standards.