Paris, France — France’s Constitutional Council invalidated a draft law proposing a ban on social media access for children under the age of 15, just weeks after its parliamentary approval. Consequently, the legislation was blocked from entering into force, returning the file to the government for compliance revisions. Furthermore, the Council underscored the necessity of implementing adequate legal safeguards to protect overall user privacy.
Constitutional Concerns and Age Verification Flaws
The Constitutional Council justified its decision by noting that enforcing the restriction would compel all platform users, including adults, to verify their age prior to accessing services. Additionally, the Council emphasized that lawmakers failed to establish sufficient legal mechanisms or boundaries governing the verification process.
Enforcing age-based access controls naturally mandates verifying every user’s identity, which the court found lacked necessary data protection provisions. Consequently, the legislation failed to satisfy constitutional standards regarding digital freedoms and user privacy.
Government Redrafting and Global Legislative Context
Despite the ruling, the French administration remains committed to regulating digital access for minors. Additionally, President Emmanuel Macron instructed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to revise the draft text while addressing the Constitutional Council’s specific observations regarding child safety.
France’s legislative effort mirrors a broader international movement, including Australia’s under-16 social media ban, alongside ongoing policy evaluations in Denmark, the United Kingdom, Canada, and several US states.
Finally, the French government aims to strike a balance between safeguarding youth online and preserving digital privacy rights. Ultimately, legislative bodies await the revised proposal to see how the administration addresses the age verification requirement.
