France's top court strikes down social media ban for under-15s

France's Constitutional Council blocked a law banning social networks for children under 15, reported France 24.

Consensus

The French Constitutional Council declared the law banning children under 15 from social media unconstitutional.
The law was passed by the French Parliament in July 2024.
The Constitutional Council found the ban to be disproportionate and a violation of freedom of expression.
The law required social media platforms to verify user age, but did not specify how.
The Constitutional Council did not rule on the ban on mobile phone use in schools.
President Emmanuel Macron has instructed the Prime Minister to draft a new version of the law.
The decision was made in August 2024.
The law was intended to take effect in September 2024, but was blocked before implementation.

The law was to be enforced starting in September 2024 for age verification and January 2025 for full implementation. — tg_bbcrussian
The Constitutional Council did not object to the school phone ban, which could be implemented from September 2026. — interfax
The law was intended to take effect on 1 September 2024. — kommerant
The Constitutional Council stated that the lack of defined age verification methods could violate privacy. — interfax
The Constitutional Council considered the exceptions for educational resources too limited. — kommerant
The Constitutional Council did not object to the phone ban in schools, which could be implemented in September 2026. — interfax
The law was intended to follow Australia’s example, which banned users under 16 from certain platforms. — tg_theinsider
The law was passed with 279 votes in favor and 81 against in the National Assembly. — vedomosti
France would become the first EU country to legally implement such a ban. — tg_radiosvoboda
The law would have applied to platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, X, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, and certain online games. — kommerant