Le Figaro Économie8/15/2026Politics1 min readFranceView original

The Constitutional Council rejects the ban on social networks for minors

The government's flagship measure for those under 15 was deemed unconstitutional by the Wise Men.

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The Constitutional Council has rejected the ban on social networks for those under 15, deemed contrary to the Constitution.
Emmanuel Macron has tasked Lecornu with drafting a new version by spring 2027.

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The Constitutional Council rejected the ban on social networks for minors under the age of 15, considering the text contrary to the Constitution.

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An endless stream of bad news. After heatwaves and forest fires, a new clap of thunder has just disrupted the summer of members of the government.

This Friday, August 14, the Constitutional Council decided to revoke the ban on social networks for minors under 15 years old. However, the measure was to come into force in just a few weeks, from September 1, 2026 for new accounts and January 1, 2027 for existing accounts. The institution headed by Richard Ferrand considers that as it stands, the text constitutes “an attack on freedom of expression which is not adapted, necessary and proportionate to the objective pursued” and therefore judges it “contrary to the Constitution”.

In the process, the Head of State immediately published a press release announcing that he was tasking Lecornu with a new draft of the law to be completed “by spring 2027”. This conclusion confirms the elected representatives of La France insoumise (LFI) and the Socialist Party, who had contacted the Sages to contest the validity of the proposed law. Conversely, it is a snub for the majority and in particular for the President of the Republic. In retreat since the failed dissolution of 2024, Emmanuel Macron had made this text a marker of the end of his five-year term.