Draft social media ban for under 15s from France

French President Macron made a statement regarding the regulation that will be introduced on the social media platform of the US-based company X on the access of children under the age of 15 to social media.

Macron stated that he has acted with a sense of responsibility regarding the protection of children in online environments since the first day he took office.

Reiterating his determination on this issue, Macron announced that the new draft law regulating the use of social media by children under the age of 15, which was accepted by both chambers of the French Parliament but was canceled by the Constitutional Council, the country's highest constitutional judicial body, in August, was ready.

Macron noted that the Council's instruction to the government to prepare a new, legally sound regulation compatible with European norms after the annulment decision was fulfilled "thanks to extraordinary technical work" and that the government reported the new draft law to the European Union (EU) Commission.

In addition, Macron emphasized that this regulation to protect children should be adopted throughout Europe and that they are determined in this regard.

The Constitutional Council annulled the regulation

In France, the regulation regarding the access of children under 15 to social media was accepted by the lower and upper houses of the parliament. However, the Constitutional Council, with its decision on August 14, annulled the regulation on the grounds that it constituted a "disproportionate interference" in the freedom of expression of young people.

Although the Council accepted that it was a constitutional necessity to protect the interests of children, it ruled that the regulation was insufficient to detect the risks posed by the online environment for the health and safety of children.

Following the Council's annulment decision, Macron instructed the government to prepare a new draft law in line with European norms.