France's top court blocked a social media ban for under-15s, four days before it was due to start

France's Constitutional Council struck down the under-15 social media ban on Friday. The law had been due to take effect on 1 September.

The bill would have stopped anyone under 15 from opening an account. Platforms would have had four months to close existing ones, and would have needed age checks approved by the French privacy regulator. Lawmakers passed it in July. France would have been the first country in Europe to follow Australia, which barred under-16s from Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube in December.

The Council said a ban on under-15s forces every user, including adults, to prove their age. The law did not set the conditions and limits for that proof, so it failed the privacy test. It also found the ban a disproportionate cut into freedom of expression and communication. A separate school phone ban, due on 1 September in high schools, was not struck down.

President Emmanuel Macron has told Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to rewrite the text. The Elysee wants a legally sound version in force before the spring 2027 presidential election. Macron cannot run again.

Governments from China to the UAE have been writing age bars. Australia is already living with one, and looking at tougher penalties after mixed early data. The French ruling is a reminder that a blanket ban, without a careful age-check design, can fail in a court that takes speech and privacy seriously. India has its own fights over kids, phones and platforms. The French text is a draft other capitals will read.

Lecornu has to produce a new bill that satisfies the Council and fits EU rules. The Elysee says Macron has not dropped the idea. Google, Meta, Snap and TikTok did not immediately comment to Reuters. The 1 September start is dead. Spring 2027 is the new political deadline.