France’s top court strikes down social media ban for under-15s

France's Constitutional Council struck down a bill on Friday that would have banned social media access for children under 15, ruling that the legislation infringed upon freedom of expression and failed to establish adequate legal safeguards for age verification.

The Ruling

"By prohibiting minors under the age of fifteen from accessing certain online services, the law inherently requires every person, even an adult, to prove their age before accessing them," the Constitutional Council said in its decision. "However, by failing to specify the conditions and limits under which such proof must be provided, the legislature has not established the legal safeguards necessary to ensure compliance with these requirements," it added.straitstimes+2

The court also determined that the bill violated the rights of minors regarding freedom of expression and communication, according to CNN. French lawmakers had approved the ban last month, making France the first European country to follow Australia, which barred under-16s from platforms including Facebook Meta Platforms, Inc. ↘ 0.86%, TikTok and YouTube Alphabet Inc. ↘ 0.12% in December.cnn+1

Macron Orders Rewrite

The ruling represents a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who had backed the measure. Macron has ordered Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to rework the draft legislation to address the Constitutional Council's concerns, the Élysée said in a statement.reuters+1

The presidential palace said Macron is determined the reform take effect before Spring 2027, when France holds a presidential election in which Macron cannot run for a third term.straitstimes

Broader Context

The decision arrives amid a global push to restrict young people's access to social media. Australia enacted the world's first such ban in December, while other countries have debated similar measures. France's attempt had been closely watched as a potential model for European regulation. The Constitutional Council's objections centered not on the goal of protecting minors but on the mechanism — lawmakers failed to clearly define how age verification would work without creating broader privacy concerns for all users.inshorts+1