France’s Constitutional Council blocks social media ban for children under 15, president vows new bill

France’s Constitutional Council has blocked a government-backed measure limiting social media access for children under 15, ruling that the restriction infringes upon freedom of expression, the council said in its decision, according to BBC World. The ruling overturns the legal basis for the ban and prevents it from being enforced in the form challenged.

The decision puts the focus back on how French authorities plan to address concerns about minors’ online exposure while staying within constitutional limits. The Constitutional Council’s finding centered on whether the measure, as adopted, met constitutional requirements tied to rights including freedom of expression, BBC World reported.

Following the ruling, President Emmanuel Macron said he would not end the effort to regulate minors’ online access. Macron vowed to prepare a new draft law designed to address the Constitutional Council’s objections, according to the report. The president’s response shifts the dispute from courtroom review to legislative redesign and implementation details.

Under France’s constitutional framework, the Constitutional Council’s decisions are binding and determine whether legislation conforms to constitutional protections. By rejecting the under-15 ban, the council indicated that the policy approach as structured faced legal obstacles, meaning the government must return to Parliament with revised text or an alternative mechanism.

The case also highlights the practical tension facing regulators, families, and platforms when the policy goal is to protect children while ensuring that restrictions on access are narrowly tailored enough to withstand judicial scrutiny. While the Constitutional Council ruled against the ban’s constitutionality, the report indicated the issue remains a political and legislative priority.

Macron’s pledge to prepare new legislation sets a clear next step: lawmakers will have to craft a revised proposal that can pass constitutional review again. Until that occurs, the decision bars enforcement of the blocked restriction, leaving the question of minors’ protections to the existing legal and regulatory environment rather than the invalidated ban.