France's top court blocks social media ban for under-15s

French lawmakers had approved the bill in July, becoming the first in Europe to follow Australia, whose world-first ban barred access to platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube for under-16s in December. Lawmakers there are considering stricter penalties after data showed mixed success.

Countries around the globe, including China, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, have either instituted measures intended to curtail or bar access to social media for young people, or have said they were planning them.

The European Union has said it was planning to seek stronger protections for children from harmful social media features.

Social media companies generally oppose blanket bans, saying they have measures already in place to protect younger users, including age restrictions, though they have also said they would comply with government bans. Google, Meta, Snap and TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Macron, who in April urged teenagers to turn off their devices and read in order to become better citizens, has ordered Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to rework the draft legislation to take the Constitutional Council's concerns into account, the Elysee said in a statement.