France Reworks Its Under-15 Social Media Ban After Court Defeat

France is attempting a second route to regulate children’s social-media use after its Constitutional Council blocked a sweeping under-15 ban. The policy question is no longer simply whether minors should be excluded from platforms: it is whether governments can reduce specific online risks without imposing an excessive limit on young people’s ability to communicate—and how such rules can work across the EU. 315

What France’s first law would have done

French lawmakers adopted legislation in July 2026 that would have prevented children under 15 from opening social-media accounts. Platforms would also have had to close existing under-15 accounts, with the measure originally due to begin in September. 1219

The Constitutional Council struck down the central provision on August 14. It found the blanket restriction to be a disproportionate infringement of freedom of expression and communication. Reporting on the decision also said the measure was too broad because it did not sufficiently account for the individual situation of a minor or the risks posed by particular services. 315

That ruling did not say that every child-protection restriction is impermissible. It instead set a high bar for any rule that broadly prevents minors from accessing online communication services. 311

What is changing in the revised French proposal

The French government has submitted a reworked proposal after the court’s decision. Public reporting indicates that the new approach abandons the blanket access prohibition and instead seeks to limit a set of platform functions described as harmful or addictive for under-15s. 56

This is an important change in legal design:

• The original model sought to exclude under-15s from social media as a category.
• The reported new model seeks to target particular functions rather than all online communication. 6

The exact list of features, the final scope of services covered and the age-assurance method have not been firmly established in the material available. Those details will determine both the practical effect of the law and the privacy burden placed on users.

How the redesign is intended to address EU law

France has notified the European Commission of the reworked measure, according to reporting on the new draft. 6 That step places the proposal in the context of EU oversight of national rules affecting cross-border digital services.

The narrower, feature-focused approach is also more closely aligned with the Constitutional Council’s objection to a universal prohibition: rather than treating all platforms and all under-15 users alike, it aims to distinguish risks associated with particular product designs. 1516

But notification is not approval. Available reporting does not establish whether the Commission will endorse the final French proposal, what its definitive legal mechanism will be, or how France will resolve age verification and privacy concerns. Those are still central implementation questions.

Macron’s parallel push for an EU-wide age limit

President Emmanuel Macron has asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to propose a new EU legislative text banning social-media access for under-15s across the bloc. His August 29 letter followed the failure of France’s national law. 18

The political logic is straightforward: major platforms operate across borders, while national age thresholds and enforcement rules can diverge. An EU-level standard could create one baseline for all member states—but it would still need to reconcile child protection, minors’ communication rights and workable, privacy-conscious age assurance.

France is part of a wider European debate

France is not alone in seeking a common European response. The Netherlands and Spain have urged an EU-wide minimum age for social media, with their proposal potentially extending to video games, AI chatbots and other digital services considered risky for young people. They have called for harmonised, EU-level enforcement. 17

The European Commission was expected to announce its own proposal as this pressure grew. 1724 No single EU position has yet been agreed, however. The unresolved issues include:

• the appropriate minimum age;
• whether rules should block accounts entirely or restrict certain features;
• which services should be included; and
• how age assurance can be effective without creating disproportionate privacy risks.

How other countries compare

Different countries are testing markedly different models.

Australia: a full under-16 restriction

Australia became the first country to implement a nationwide social-media ban for under-16s in December 2025. Its rules cover major platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. 34

United Kingdom: a planned Australian-style ban plus feature limits

The UK government plans to ban social media for under-16s using the Australian model, backed by stronger platform age checks. It also plans restrictions for under-18s on functions such as livestreaming and contact by strangers. The first regulations were expected to be laid before Parliament by year-end, with implementation planned for spring 2027. 3233

Japan: safeguards rather than a blanket ban

Japan has so far resisted an outright age-based social-media ban. Its policy discussion has focused instead on stronger age verification, safer default settings, feature restrictions and greater responsibilities for platform operators. 5053

The larger lesson from France

France’s court ruling is a significant test case for the global push to regulate young people’s social-media access. It shows that a government may pursue child-safety measures, but a blanket ban can fail if it restricts communication too broadly or cannot be justified in relation to the risks it is meant to address. 315

France’s revised proposal, Macron’s call for EU action and the differing approaches in Australia, the UK and Japan point to the same unresolved challenge: protecting children online will depend not only on the age chosen, but on the precision, proportionality and enforceability of the rules built around it.