Those under 15 years old will be prohibited from opening new accounts from 1 September, while existing accounts are expected to be restricted by January 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrance is leading the way. Our approach is already inspiring many European partners and has helped to make the protection of minors online one of the priorities of the Digital G7,\u201d French digital minister Anne Le H\u00e9nanff wrote<\/a> on social media.<\/p>\n Unresolved issues<\/p>\n Many questions remain unanswered, however, such as which social networks would be covered by the ban, how apps would be able to identify restricted users, and how the government expects to meet the tight deadline.<\/p>\n The ban comes on the heels of an EU Commission\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0published on 13 July which conversely advocates for features-based restrictions<\/a>, to combat manipulative design elements such as endless scrolling and individually targeted content.\u00a0<\/p>\n The EU is also investigating social media platforms such as Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook for its addictive features<\/a>, suggesting that the EU is following a more nuanced approach than an outright ban – putting the onus on Big Tech to do the work in renewing its features to make them safe.<\/p>\n \u201cThe aim is, first and foremost, to protect users from dangerous features,\u201d Socialist MP Arthur Delaporte told the French national assembly. His was one of many leftwing votes against the bill, aligning himself with the European Commission\u2019s \u201cgradual access<\/a>\u201d to social media.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mariia-shalabaieva-HBkpnDVc_Ic-unsplash-600x316.jpg\")
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