France’s Constitutional Council struck down the country’s ban on social media use for children under 15 on August 14, ruling that the age-verification mechanism required all users, including adults, to prove their age, violating privacy rights, according to medianama.com. The court supported protecting children but found the law’s implementation overly broad and intrusive.
The Council censured Article 1 of the law, which banned under-15s from social media, accepting that protecting minors’ best interests and preventing public-order harms can justify access limits. However, it rejected the law because it did not consider individual circumstances or platform-specific risks and because the age verification applied universally to all users, breaching privacy rights, medianama.com reported.
This ruling contrasts with recent moves in India, where states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have introduced age-based social media restrictions, and the central government is preparing a graded framework for users aged 8-18. France’s decision highlights the challenges of balancing child protection with privacy, especially as other countries implement stricter age controls, medianama.com noted.
Australia implemented an under-16 social media ban in December 2025, including platform liability and an age-assurance regulator. France’s ruling on August 14 sets a precedent emphasizing privacy concerns in age verification, influencing how governments might regulate minors’ access to social media platforms, medianama.com stated.