Overview
- The Conseil constitutionnel annulled article 1 of the law that would have barred under‑15s from social networks, ruling on Friday, August 14 that the measure was unconstitutional.
- The court said the ban was too broad because it would apply to many different online services without distinguishing their risks, and it removed parents’ ability to judge access for their children.
- Judges flagged a serious privacy problem because the law would have required age checks that force all users, including adults, to prove their age to access platforms.
- President Emmanuel Macron immediately tasked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu with drafting a new, legally robust version to align with the court’s reasoning and EU rules for presentation by spring 2027.
- The ruling has split politics: left‑wing lawmakers who challenged the law welcomed the decision, supporters of the measure vowed to press on and some figures proposed a referendum, while advocates and bereaved families warned of the continued harms the law aimed to address.