France — Minors Online — the verified record, live

France has assembled one of Europe's most assertive regimes for protecting minors online across several statutes rather than a single code. The 2022 loi Studer requires manufacturers to pre-install easily activatable parental control tools on connected devices sold in France. The 2023 law on digital majority sets a threshold of fifteen for social network registration, below which parental consent is required — though its entry into application has been conditioned on compatibility with EU law and the country-of-origin principle. The loi SREN of 2024 sharpened enforcement against pornographic services, empowering ARCOM to impose a technical standard for age verification and to block and delist non-compliant sites, which triggered service suspensions and litigation by major adult platforms, including disputes over sites established elsewhere in the EU. Alongside, French authorities press platforms on age assurance under the DSA, and political momentum for stricter limits on minors' social media access continues at both national and EU level. The result is a fast-moving, multi-instrument compliance environment.

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as of 2026-08-31 · refreshed from scheduled releases

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Frequently asked

Who enforces France's rules protecting minors online?

ARCOM leads on age verification for pornographic services, with powers under the loi SREN to set the technical standard and order blocking and delisting; the CNIL contributes privacy requirements for age assurance. The DGCCRF and the telecoms regulator play roles on parental controls under the loi Studer, and prosecutors and courts handle criminal provisions. DSA-level pressure on large platforms runs through the European Commission.

Do social networks require parental consent for French minors?

The 2023 French law sets a digital majority at fifteen, requiring parental consent for younger users to register with social networks, with penalties for non-compliant platforms. Its practical application has been constrained by EU law: the country-of-origin principle limits France's ability to impose such duties on platforms established in other Member States, and implementing measures were notified to the European Commission.

What age verification is required for adult sites in France?

Sites publishing pornographic content accessible from France must deploy age verification meeting ARCOM's technical standard, which emphasises reliable age assurance with privacy protections such as double anonymity, and declaratory checkboxes are insufficient. Non-compliance exposes sites to formal notices, blocking and delisting orders. Several major platforms have contested the regime or temporarily withdrawn service in France rather than comply.

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