France’s top constitutional court blocks under-15 social media ban

France’s Constitutional Council rejected a law that would have barred children under 15 from using social media platforms, finding that age verification requirements lacked sufficient legal safeguards. The measure had been definitively approved by the French Parliament on July 21, 2026, and was scheduled to take effect in September. The council said preventing under-15s from accessing certain online services would require every user to provide proof of age. It also found that lawmakers had not established the conditions and limits under which that proof would be required or presented. The proposal was intended to protect the mental health of children and adolescents. If implemented, France would have been the first European Union country to set a minimum age for social media use.