France's Constitutional Council struck down a law, backed by lawmakers in July, that would have barred under-15s from social media, ruling it infringed on freedom of expression and lacked adequate legal safeguards for age verification.
The ruling overrides President Emmanuel Macron's plan to phase in the ban starting in September, with full enforcement on existing accounts by January. Macron has now asked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to draft new legislation addressing the council's objections, with a stated goal of implementation by early 2027.
The move follows Australia's under-16 ban last December, which is widely flouted, and comes as the UK and EU pursue their own restrictions on youth social media access.
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