France’s Constitutional Council on Friday blocked a bill that would have restricted social media use by children under 15. The court said the proposal interfered excessively with freedom of expression and communication and did not provide sufficient legal safeguards for personal privacy. The decision was seen as a political setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who had previously instructed the government to redraft the measure.

Under the parliamentary-approved bill, children under 15 would have been barred from opening new social media accounts from September 1. Platforms would also have been required to close existing accounts within four months. The proposal required age verification through methods approved by France’s data protection regulator.

The court said the bill did not clearly define the conditions or limits for collecting and storing information used to prove users’ ages. The Elysee Palace said the Macron government remains determined to introduce revised legislation on social media regulation ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Google, Meta, Snap and TikTok gave no immediate comment after the ruling.