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BELGIUM PERSPECTIVE
FRANCE BANS SOCIAL MEDIA FOR UNDER-15S, A FIRST IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
DOMINANT ANGLE
Brussels is gauging the difference between French law and its own Flemish threshold, set lower at 13 years, as it awaits a harmonized European initiative.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
ANALYSIS
Brussels, July 22, 2026. In Belgium, the French law banning social media for those under 15, adopted by the French Parliament on Tuesday with 279 votes against 81, is being scrutinized in light of an ongoing Belgian reform. As early as April, the Flemish government had announced an age threshold for "harmful social networks" set at 13 years old - a figure aligned with existing European privacy rules, which already prohibit companies from collecting data from children under 13 without explicit parental consent. The French measure, however, goes further: it aims for a minimum age of 15, includes an obligation for age verification for platforms, and also bans mobile phones in high schools starting from the September back-to-school season.
The text, a campaign promise by Emmanuel Macron and a flagship end-of-term measure, comes in a climate where several French families have filed complaints against TikTok, estimating that harmful content on the platform contributed to adolescent suicides. Child rights advocacy organizations have welcomed the adoption of the text. "We have been advocating for this proposal from the start, because honestly, we have no other option to counter the tech giants," said Gaëlle Berbonde, whose daughter suffers from anorexia and depression, which she partly attributes to content seen on TikTok. "The only thing we can do is protect our children, just like we protect them from alcohol."
For Belgium, the issue goes beyond a simple comparison of thresholds. The European Commission has indicated that it will present, after the summer, a proposal for a harmonized minimum age for social media at the European Union level - a project that the first national binding measure of this type in Europe could accelerate. The unknown factor, on both the Belgian and French sides, remains age verification: no reliable and generalized technical device exists yet to impose it on platforms without opening new debates on the collection of personal data from minors.
KEY POINTS
- The Belgian government notes that the French Parliament adopted the law on Tuesday with 279 votes in favor and 81 against, set to take effect in September, a first in the EU.
- Belgians are aware that the Flemish government had already announced in April a threshold of 13 years for "harmful social networks", lower than the French threshold of 15 years.
- Belgique will be interested to see the European Commission's announcement that it will present a proposal for a harmonized minimum age for social networks across the EU after the summer.
COGNITIVE BIASES IDENTIFIED
Belgium's coverage primarily focuses on the French decision, with limited independent analysis on the concrete application in Belgium.
The Belgian perspective favors comparing age thresholds, such as the 13-year-old age limit in Flanders versus the 15-year-old age limit in France, over a detailed assessment of the technical feasibility of age verification.
There is scant coverage of the debate on freedom of expression and the risk of censorship in Belgian articles, despite being a present issue in the broader discussion.
SOURCES (2)
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