THE WHAT? France’s Constitutional Council has blocked legislation that would have banned children under 15 from accessing social media, ruling that the proposed measures disproportionately infringed on freedom of expression and privacy rights.
THE DETAILS The legislation, approved by French lawmakers in July, was due to prevent under-15s from opening social media accounts from September 1, with existing accounts to be closed within four months. Platforms would also have been required to introduce age-verification systems approved by France’s privacy regulator. However, the Constitutional Council found that the legislation did not sufficiently define how age verification should operate or provide adequate safeguards for privacy and freedom of communication. President Emmanuel Macron has subsequently asked the government to rewrite the legislation to address the court’s concerns.
THE WHY? The ruling highlights the regulatory challenges facing governments seeking to restrict young people’s access to social media, particularly when balancing child protection with privacy and freedom of expression. For beauty brands and retailers, changes to age-access rules could have implications for social media marketing, influencer strategies and engagement with younger audiences across platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat.
Source: Reuters
