On the 14th, the French Constitutional Council ruled that Article 1 of the "Law to Protect Minors from the Risks of Using Social Media," passed by the French parliament last month, violates the constitution and thus is rejected. This article would have banned minors under the age of 15 from accessing social media.
The Constitutional Council believes that protecting minors from risks such as social media addiction, social isolation, exposure to pornography, cyberbullying, and fraud is a legitimate objective. However, the ban covers too wide a range, fails to distinguish based on platform functions, content, and actual risks, and does not take into account factors such as the minor’s age, maturity, and family situation, therefore resulting in an "unnecessary, inappropriate, and disproportionate" restriction on the freedom of communication.
The Council also pointed out that the ban would in practice require all users to prove their age, but the law did not adequately specify the conditions, methods, and privacy protection measures for age verification.
The Constitutional Council did not make a judgment on the constitutionality of the other provisions of the law.
The French Presidential office issued a communiqué on the 14th stating that President Emmanuel Macron has requested the Prime Minister to promptly study and draft a more robust legal text, fully taking into account the Council's ruling as well as the European legal framework.
On July 21st, the French parliament passed the "Law to Protect Minors from the Risks of Using Social Media", which aimed to prohibit minors under 15 from accessing social media in order to prevent their exposure to potentially anxiety-inducing or harmful content.
According to the text of the bill passed by the French parliament, with a few exceptions such as online encyclopedias and educational platforms, minors under 15 would not be allowed to access social media services provided by online platforms. The ban was originally scheduled to take effect for newly registered accounts from September 1st this year, and apply to existing accounts starting January 1st, 2027.