Overview
- France’s Parliament approved the law on Tuesday, creating a two‑stage timetable that stops under‑15s opening new accounts from September 1 and requires platforms to close existing under‑15 accounts by January 2027.
- The text compels platforms to use age‑verification systems approved by France’s privacy regulator so every user in France effectively must prove their age to access major apps.
- The bill now awaits a Constitutional Council review that could delay or change the implementation timetable and the details of enforcement.
- Experts point to practical limits and privacy risks: Australia’s under‑16 ban has seen widespread circumvention and age checks commonly rely on sensitive data such as government IDs or biometric scans that raise cybersecurity and anonymity concerns.
- The law also bans mobile phones in high schools and places France at the leading edge of a broader global push for child protection online that will test coordination with upcoming EU platform rules and shape how other countries act.