World
France becomes first European country to ban social media for users under 15
The French parliament adopted on July 21, 2026, a law setting 15 years as the minimum age for registering on social media, making France the first European country to establish a "digital age of majority". The text received 279 votes in favor and 81 against in the National Assembly, and 243 votes in favor and 2 against in the Senate. The ban on new accounts enters into force on September 1, 2026; platforms will have until January 2027 to delete existing accounts of users under 15. The Constitutional Council must still examine the text before its enactment.