• France has passed a law banning social media for children under 15, set to take effect after the summer holidays.
• The ban will be introduced in two stages, with age verification required for newly created accounts from September 1 and for existing accounts from the start of 2027.
• Other EU countries, including Spain, Greece, Austria, and Germany, are also considering enshrining a social media ban for minors, but enforcement falls under the jurisdiction of the European Commission.

France has become the first EU country to introduce a ban on social media for children under the age of 15, as the French parliament in Paris passed a law by a large majority on Tuesday evening.

The law, championed by President Emmanuel Macron, is set to take effect after the French summer holidays.

"I had pushed for this, and now it has been decided: From the new school year, social networks will be banned for children under 15," Macron said in response to the parliamentary vote.

Parliament in Paris had debated the ban and its details at length, and the European Commission had also raised objections to the French plans.

A revised version of the legislation passed both chambers of parliament on Monday afternoon, just before the parliamentary summer recess.

France wants the ban and age verification by major social media platforms to be introduced in two stages: from September 1 for newly created accounts and from the start of 2027 for existing accounts.

Platforms would be expected to use existing age verification technology, such as systems already used to restrict access to pornographic content. Critics, however, doubt France can compel the platforms to take such a step on its own.

How the ban will be enforced in practice has yet to be worked out in detail. The European Commission's criticism had focused on precisely this point. A spokesman for the commission said it was essential to prevent a fragmentation into national systems that could create legal uncertainty or weaken enforcement.

Several EU member states, including Spain, Greece and Austria, want to enshrine a social media ban for minors up to a certain age in law. German Family Minister Karin Prien has also announced her intention to introduce such a ban in Germany.

However, individual member states cannot do this straightforwardly. Anyone seeking to enforce digital age limits technically cannot avoid dealing with the major online platforms. Imposing rules on those platforms and enforcing them, however, falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the European Commission.

France, Germany and other member states are therefore not in a position to impose additional obligations on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and similar platforms. That would have to be decided at EU level.

Whether social media should be banned for minors at all, and up to what age, could remain a matter for individual member states - after all, member states are entitled to regulate the behaviour of their own citizens.