France just dropped the hammer on social media companies, becoming the first European Union country to approve a blanket ban on kids under 15 using platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X. The move, passed by both chambers of Parliament on Tuesday, is aimed at protecting young users from addictive design and harmful content. President Emmanuel Macron, who pushed for an Australia-style crackdown, wants it to take effect September 1, though constitutional and EU reviews could slow things down.

Here's what the law does: it bans social media for under-15s without parental consent, and also prohibits mobile phone use in high schools. Platforms including Meta Platforms Inc. (META) (Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, Reddit Inc. (RDDT), Elon Musk's X, and Snap Inc. (SNAP) have four months to close existing underage accounts and must use age-verification systems approved by France's privacy regulator. That's a big ask for companies that have historically struggled with age checks.

Parents have been vocal supporters. Gaëlle Berbonde, a Paris-area parent, told the Associated Press: "We've been campaigning for this bill from the start because, frankly, we have no other option, no other way to counter tech giants. The only thing we can do is protect our children, just as we protect our children from drinking alcohol." Her daughter developed anorexia, depression, and self-harming behavior after getting a smartphone in seventh grade, spending 18 months in a hospital. French families have also sued TikTok over teen suicides allegedly linked to harmful content, and authorities opened a criminal investigation into the platform last year.

Macron said: "France is leading the way in Europe in protecting our children and our teenagers. We will keep on going."

But enforcement is tricky. The law excludes online encyclopedias and educational or scientific directories. Some lawmakers opposed it, warning that age checks could erode anonymity and be impossible to enforce. Ines Legendre of child-protection group e-Enfance said officials still need to figure out how to identify and suspend existing accounts. And the platforms themselves? MarketDash reached out for comment but didn't get an immediate response.

French health data shows 90% of 12- to 17-year-olds use smartphones daily to access the internet, and 58% use them for social networks. Heavy use is linked to lower self-esteem and greater exposure to self-harm, drug-use, and suicide content.

France is following Australia, which bars under-16s and can fine noncompliant platforms up to A$50 million (about $34.96 million). Australia has since tightened enforcement after kids kept finding ways in. The European Commission is also considering phased restrictions and has targeted "addictive" features like infinite scrolling. So this isn't just a French thing—it's a global wave that social media companies will have to navigate.