France's Top Court Blocks Social Media Ban For Under-15s
France's Constitutional Council has struck down a law that would have banned children under 15 from social media, ruling that it disproportionately restricted freedom of expression and lacked adequate privacy safeguards around age verification. President Emmanuel Macron has asked the government to rewrite the measure, with the goal of putting a revised version in place before spring 2027. Reuters…
France's Constitutional Council has rejected a proposed law that would have prohibited children under 15 from using social media, arguing that it unduly limits free speech and lacks sufficient privacy protections for age verification. President Emmanuel Macron has instructed the government to revise the legislation, aiming to have an updated version ready before spring 2027.
According to Reuters, the Council contended that the bill's provisions "disproportionately infringe upon the freedom of expression and communication" and "fail to provide the legal safeguards necessary to ensure the right to respect for private life." France was the first European country to adopt such a measure, following Australia, which implemented a ban in December 2022 that restricted access to platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube for users under 16.
Australian lawmakers are now weighing more stringent penalties following preliminary data suggesting the initial ban had limited impact. Nations worldwide, including China, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey, have either implemented or contemplated measures to restrict or prohibit social media access for young people or have announced their intentions.
The European Union is also planning to bolster safeguards for children against harmful features on social media platforms.
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