France submits revised under-15 social media restrictions to European Commission

Revised French proposal

The French government submitted an amended draft law to the European Commission on 14 September 2026 to restrict social media access for minors under 15. The submission follows a decision in August 2026 by the Constitutional Council, which struck down an earlier legislative text after finding a blanket ban represented a disproportionate infringement on adolescents' freedom of expression. To align with constitutional requirements and European single market rules, the revised framework abandons outright platform prohibitions and instead targets specific addictive interface features.

The revised measure applies age restrictions to platforms operating mechanisms such as infinite video scrolling, automated playback, nighttime notification streams, and unsolicited direct messaging with strangers. Adolescents between the ages of 13 and 15 can access compliant services if they obtain parental authorization, while users under 13 remain barred from unmonitored accounts. French President Emmanuel Macron stated on X that he aims to enact the legislation before his presidential term concludes in spring 2027.

We will go all the way to find a path that complies with the observations of the Constitutional Council, but also with European law.

European Commission framework

The French filing arrives as the European Commission prepares to introduce its own regulatory package, titled the EU Kids Act. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will present the initiative on 16 September 2026 before the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Building on July 2026 recommendations from an expert advisory panel, the EU framework proposes requiring digital platforms and artificial intelligence assistants to prove they are safe by design before offering services to minors.

Under the draft EU legislation, account access follows a graduated tiered model. Parents can establish fully managed accounts for children under 13, whereas adolescents aged 13 to 15 will receive initiation accounts equipped with mandatory screen-time caps and safeguards against interactions with strangers.

Regulatory competence and behavioural impacts

Legal specialists have pointed to potential jurisdictional overlaps between national and European initiatives. Brunessen Bertrand, a professor of public law at the University of Rennes, noted that defining harmful platform functionalities falls under the jurisdiction of the EU Digital Services Act.

Fundamentally, an approach by functionality, graduated according to children, and which leaves room for parental authority, seems relevant.

Medical specialists emphasize the psychological mechanisms targeted by the regulatory proposals. Amine Benyamina, a professor of psychiatry and specialist in addictology, explained that social media platforms leverage neuroscientific principles to trigger reward loops, using variable reinforcements such as likes, follower counts, and algorithmic curation to capture young users.

The very concept of algorithmic bubbles is addictive.

Global enforcement and safety complaints

The European regulatory push aligns with international actions addressing youth digital safety. Australia instituted an under-16 ban in late 2025, which was subsequently mirrored by initiatives in Brazil and Indonesia. In the United States, Meta agreed to a $17 billion settlement across approximately 50 states and territories over youth mental health claims, implementing two-hour daily time limits and a blackout period between midnight and 6:00 a.m. However, former Meta engineer Arturo Bejar criticized the settlement as incomplete due to the absence of rules on public view counters. In France, child protection organization e-Enfance filed a complaint with the Paris prosecutor's cybercrime unit on 14 September 2026, citing an increase in violent content targeting minors on Discord.