French Top Court Blocks Social Media Ban for Young Teens

France’s highest court blocked a ban on social media for children under 15 that was approved in Parliament last month, in a setback for President Emmanuel Macron who championed the bill.

The ban is unconstitutional because it harms youths’ freedom of speech and communication, the Paris-based Constitutional Council said in a ruling Friday.

Macron’s office said in a statement after the ruling that he will continue to push for the reform before the end of his term next spring. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu will work to draft “legally sound legislation that takes into account the Constitutional Council’s decision,” the statement said.

The ruling is the first indication that the global rush to restrict younger teenagers’ use of social media may not survive contact with legal and technical hurdles. France had been the first major European nation to pass legislation on the topic after Australia’s landmark ban kicked off in December 2025.

Dozens of governments plan to follow suit, though critics say forcing tech companies to verify users’ ages is impractical and violates their privacy. An early assessment of Australia’s ban, intended to prevent children under the age of 16 from accessing social media, found little impact on teenagers’ use so far.

Under the French legislation approved in July, those under 15 wouldn’t be able to create new accounts from September. A full ban would come into effect in January for existing profiles.

Read more: How the Push to Get Kids Off Social Media Went Global: Explainer

Meta Platforms Inc.’s Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook, Snap Inc., Elon Musk’s X, Google’s YouTube as well as China’s TikTok would be most affected.

While protecting children can take precedence over their right to access social media, the law is too broad, the council said in Friday’s ruling.

Parental Judgment

“The ban applies to access to any online platform that allows end users to log in and communicate with one another, share content, and discover other users and other content,” according to the ruling. “In particular, the ban on accessing these services is not subject to any conditions relating to the features or content offered, the risks they pose, or the inadequacy of the safeguards they provide.”

The law also contains no clause to allow parents to use their judgment to let their children on social media, the ruling found. And the age-verification provision violates the privacy of adults who would be required to prove their age, the ruling found.

The council is France’s highest constitutional authority, with the primary role of ensuring that legislation passed by Parliament complies with the Constitution. It reviewed the social media ban at the request of opposition lawmakers.

Parliament’s vote approving a ban last month kicked off what’s set to be a wave of regulation globally. The number of European countries individually considering similar action is creating pressure on the EU to come up with a unified approach.

Macron has promoted the initiative with other EU leaders and G7 countries. Germany, Greece, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, the UK and Canada have expressed interest in similar measures, and the EU has unveiled an app to confirm users’ age online to help coordinate verification requirements across the bloc.

Macron has cited “loneliness,” “bullying” and teens’ cognitive development as reasons for the ban.

He previously slammed “American platforms and Chinese algorithms” for capitalizing on youngsters’ emotions. “Our children’s brains are not for sale,” he said in a video in January.