French Parliament greenlights social media ban for under-15s

France's Parliament passed a law banning children under 15 from creating new social media accounts starting September 1, with enforcement on existing accounts beginning January 2027; the law also outlaws cell phone use in high schools and requires platforms to use age-verification methods approved by the national privacy regulator. The move, championed by President Macron, follows similar measures in other countries and has drawn criticism from privacy and human-rights advocates who urge targeted regulation of harmful platform features rather than blanket bans.