Top French court blocks social media ban for children

A top French court has struck down a law that was set to ban users under the age of 15 from social media, a major legal setback as several countries seek to restrict children’s access to online platforms.

The move is a blow to President Emmanuel Macron, who had championed the ban over safety concerns for children online. He responded by asking Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to formulate a new version of the reform to come into force by spring 2027.

The Constitutional Council on Friday blocked a law the French parliament passed in July that would have required all users to confirm their ages to access social media from 2027, arguing it was a “disproportionate infringement on freedom of expression”.

The decision is a setback for French efforts to protect children online, as countries across the world seek to implement new restrictions.

Brussels had previously said that it planned to propose a “social media start date for minors” after the summer. But some European countries, including France, were frustrated by what they felt was too slow a pace to bring in new protections and moved to introduce their own.

The Paris-based court said in its decision that while the need to protect children’s best interests could justify limiting access to social media, “the contested provisions . . . failed to provide sufficient legal safeguards to ensure the right to respect for private life”.

The Élysée said in a statement following the ruling that Macron’s objective “regarding the protection of minors online remains unchanged . . . given that the harmful effects of social media on them are scientifically documented”.

The government is set to work “on a legally sound draft that takes into account the decision of the Constitutional Council as well as the European framework”, it added.

The rules, whose first phase was set to come into force in September, aimed to restrict under-15s from social media platforms including TikTok and Instagram. They also sought to limit young people’s ability to use certain features on popular platforms such as YouTube and some online video games.

Recommended

Australia in December became the first country in the world to restrict social media access for children under the age of 16, leading to technology companies deactivating or restricting access to 4.7mn accounts the following month.

Researchers at Imperial College concluded in a 2026 study that children who spent more than three hours per day on social media were more likely to develop anxiety and depression as teenagers, echoing a growing body of research that links social media use in youngsters with mental health issues.

While most major social media companies already require users to be over 13 years old — the age at which children can consent to their data being processed under EU privacy rules — those restrictions are often circumvented.