France wants to partner with Spain to ban children under 15 from social media, but Instagram refuses to do so.

BarcelonaFrance wants to promote European legislation that would prohibit access to social media platforms—such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook—to children under 15. The goal is to achieve "a European agreement" that would require digital platforms to verify the age of their users and, in the event of non-compliance, impose sanctions. This was stated by Clara Chappaz, Minister of Digital Affairs and Artificial Intelligence, in an interview with the newspaper The Sunday TribuneLast year, French President Emmanuel Macron already spoke out in favor of these restrictions and even proposed banning mobile phone use before the age of 11.

"No to social media before the age of 15," says Chappaz, who even sets a three-month deadline to "mobilize" EU partners. To begin the process, France is now seeking "to build a coalition, with Spain, Greece, and Ireland, to convince the European Commission," the minister adds. Ireland's participation is especially relevant, as many of the largest technology companies have European headquarters, attracted by favorable tax policies.

In France, two laws have already been passed requiring platforms to verify the age of users, but this legislation is not enforced. The reason is that companies accuse Paris of not respecting the European framework for digital services that do not require age controls. That's why the minister wants legislative change at the European level. Second, there are technical and political obstacles, because companies claim that controlling the age of Internet users can technically violate the right to privacy and because the controls could make systems more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Instagram says it's a matter for parents.

Instagram was the first social network to react. The company has focused on parental responsibility and called for the implementation of parental controls in app stores. In a paid double-page ad in Monday's edition of The World, The company emphasizes parental responsibility: "Teens can download all kinds of apps, including those that aren't appropriate for their age. Giving parents more control over these downloads can help keep teens safe."

The company also wanted to remind the European Union that to access social networks, minors must go through the Apple Store or the Play Store, and that, therefore, age verification or some parental consent mechanism should also be applied directly in these virtual stores.

Australia, pioneer of a similar measure

In November 2024 Australia approved the oonline safety amendment, a regulation that Restricts access to social media such as Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X for children under 16. This law requires platforms to take "reasonable measures" to verify the age of their users and prevent access by minors, with fines of up to €30 million for non-compliance. The regulations, which will come into force by the end of 2025, establish some of the strictest controls in the world, including an age verification system that could require biometric data or some form of government-issued ID.