France approves blanket social media ban for under-15s

What the report says

Sky News World reported that France has approved a nationwide restriction preventing children under 15 from using social media, describing it as the first measure of its kind in Europe. The publisher’s available snippet does not specify the legislative route, implementation date, penalties, enforcement mechanism or which platforms would be covered.

The decision matters because it moves France from general concern about children’s online safety into a broad age-based prohibition. If implemented, the measure could affect social media companies, parents, schools and young users, particularly around account access, age checks and responsibility for compliance. It may also become a reference point for other European governments considering stronger rules for minors online.

Broader context: policymakers across Europe and elsewhere have been weighing how to reduce children’s exposure to harmful content, addictive design, cyberbullying and data collection, while also preserving access to communication, education and expression. Any under-15 ban would likely raise practical questions about age verification, privacy, cross-border platform operations and whether young users could bypass restrictions.

Because the full Sky News article text was not available in the supplied material, further details should be confirmed before publication, including the exact legal status of the approval, when the ban takes effect, whether exemptions exist, and how French authorities intend to enforce the rule.