PARIS (Reuters) – France’s Constitutional Council has blocked legislation seeking to ban children under 15 from accessing social media, dealing a setback to President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to introduce tighter restrictions on minors’ online access.
In its ruling on Friday, the country’s top constitutional authority said the legislation raised concerns over freedom of expression and failed to provide sufficient legal safeguards regarding age verification.
The council noted that enforcing the ban would require users, including adults, to prove their age before accessing certain online services. However, it said the legislation did not clearly establish the conditions and limits governing such verification.
French lawmakers had approved the proposed restriction, which would have made France the first European country to introduce a social media ban for under-15s. The move followed Australia’s introduction of a world-first measure restricting access to platforms including Facebook, TikTok and YouTube for users under 16.
Following the ruling, Macron instructed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to revise the legislation and address the concerns raised by the Constitutional Council.
The Elysee Palace said Macron remained committed to the reform and wanted the revised measures to come into force before spring 2027, ahead of France’s presidential election.
Macron is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term in the election.
