French Court Blocks Under-15 Social Media Ban as Macron Seeks Rewrite Before 2027
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 14
French Court Blocks Under-15 Social Media Ban as Macron Seeks Rewrite Before 2027
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 14
Summary
France’s Constitutional Council halted a law that would have barred under-15s from opening social media accounts from Sept. 1 and forced platforms to close existing accounts within four months.
The court said the measure disproportionately violated freedom of expression and privacy because it required proof of age without defining the conditions and limits for that verification.
Emmanuel Macron has asked Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to redraft the legislation, with the Elysee saying he still wants the reform in force before France’s 2027 presidential election.
The setback comes as Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the UK tighten youth access rules, while the EU pushes broader child protections rather than a single bloc-wide age cutoff.