The Constitutional Council issued its decision on Aug. 14, after Parliament definitively adopted the legislation on July 21. The law was scheduled to take effect on Sept. 1, with social media platforms required to prevent children under 15 from opening accounts. Existing accounts belonging to under-15s were also due to be closed within four months.
The Council found that the legislation did not sufficiently specify the conditions and limits under which users would have to prove their age. It concluded that the measure disproportionately restricted freedom of expression and communication and failed to provide the legal safeguards needed to protect the right to privacy.
The decision does not end France’s effort to restrict children’s access to social media. President Emmanuel Macron has asked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to revise the legislation in response to the Council’s objections. The French presidency said Macron wants the reform to take effect before spring 2027.
The rejected legislation would have made France the first European country to introduce a blanket under-15 social media ban, following Australia’s measure restricting access for people under 16. The French bill would also have required platforms to use age-verification systems approved by France’s privacy regulator.
The Constitutional Council’s decision comes amid wider efforts to regulate children’s use of social media. The European Union has been considering stronger measures to protect children from harmful features on social-media platforms, while several countries have introduced or announced restrictions for younger users.
