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French court blocks social media ban for under-15s
France’s top constitutional court rejected a planned under-15 social media ban over expression and privacy protections.
What happened
France’s Constitutional Council struck down the main provision of a law that would have barred under-15s from social media. It held that requiring all users to prove their age disproportionately restricted freedom of expression and communication and lacked safeguards for private life. President Emmanuel Macron asked the government to revise it.
Numbers
- Under 15Age threshold in proposed ban
- 1 SeptemberPlanned start for new-account ban — Before the court ruling
- Start of 2027Deadline for closing existing accounts — Under the proposed law
Questions
- What else did the bill cover?
- The bill also included a ban on mobile phones in high schools, alongside age-verification rules for social-media platforms.
- Why did supporters want restrictions?
- Supporters linked restrictions to problematic use, cyberbullying, harmful content, abuse and exploitation, and mental-health concerns among young people.
- When would existing accounts close?
- Under the bill, platforms would have had until the start of 2027 to close existing accounts held by children.
- Who referred the measure to court?
- Socialist and La France Insoumise lawmakers referred the measure to the Constitutional Council in late July.
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Support and opposition
Who supports this, and why
Supporters of restrictions — A clear age limit would reduce children’s exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, abuse and problematic social-media use.
Who opposes this, and why
Opponents of the ban — A blanket access ban forces age checks on everyone and restricts young people’s expression without sufficient privacy safeguards.
The catch
The decision rejected this version of the law, not every possible age-based restriction on social media.