France plans under-15 social media ban and phone-free high schools: what it means for your strategy

France is preparing legislation that would block children under 15 from major social platforms and remove smartphones from high schools, following similar moves signaled in Australia. It’s not law yet, but the direction is clear: tighter age gates and less on-campus screen time. The key takeaway here: youth access is being reshaped by policy, not just platform moderation. Expect pressure on platforms to implement stronger age verification and parental controls, with real enforcement expectations rather than optional safeguards.

What this means for creators and brands targeting French teens is straightforward. If enacted, reach to 13–14-year-olds on mainstream social channels will contract or disappear, and daytime engagement from high school students will likely drop as phones come off campuses. Worth noting for brands: France already treats 15 as the threshold for digital consent, so this push raises the bar from consent management to outright access limits. Plan for audience rebalancing toward 15–17 and adult cohorts, and audit any partnerships with under-15 talent based in France-campaign feasibility and platform policies may shift. For paid media, revisit age targeting, parental consent workflows, and measurement baselines; you’ll want separate benchmarks for France as sign-up friction and audience composition change.

The bigger picture: regulation is becoming a defining variable in youth social strategy. This is less about “which algorithm” and more about “which jurisdictions.” The logical consequences include localized compliance ops, more robust age screening at account creation, and potential declines in on-platform youth data. For planning, prioritize after-school and evening posting windows for France, strengthen first-party community channels (newsletters, SMS with parental consent where applicable), and prepare creative that resonates with older teen segments without relying on under-15 participation. The opportunity, if there is one, is clarity: brands that adapt early with compliant workflows and realistic reach models will waste fewer impressions and avoid regulatory whiplash.