The French government has submitted an updated draft law to the European Commission designed to establish comprehensive digital protections for minors on social media platforms. The submission represents a major strategic recalibration following a landmark ruling by France's Constitutional Council, which invalidated earlier legislation that attempted to enforce a blanket ban on social media accounts for adolescents under the age of 15.

In its July ruling, the Constitutional Council determined that an absolute ban infringed disproportionately on constitutional freedoms of expression and communication. Rather than abandoning the initiative, French regulators pivoted toward regulating addictive design mechanics and dark patterns that encourage prolonged, compulsive screen engagement among young users.

Key Provisions of the Revised Framework

The reworked proposal retains a 'digital majority' threshold at age 15, but introduces pragmatic pathways for teenagers aged 13 to 15 to access platforms with verified parental consent. More significantly, it places direct technical mandates on digital service providers to deactivate specific engagement features for minor accounts.

Regulatory Evolution: French Youth Social Media Legislative Framework
Feature / Mechanism Struck-Down July Measure Revised September Draft Platform Compliance Requirement
Age Threshold Absolute ban under 15 years Digital majority at 15 with parental consent exceptions Verified age gate with privacy-preserving tokens
Algorithmic Feeds Unregulated beyond age barrier Mandatory chronological default for under-18s Recommendation engines disabled for minors by default
Nighttime Alerts No specific provision Curfew on push notifications between 10 PM and 7 AM Mandatory system toggle integrated into device settings
Enforcement Framework Domestic telecom blocking threats Aligned with EU Digital Services Act (DSA) penalties Fines of up to 6% of global annual platform revenue

European Harmonization and Platform Obligations

By notifying the European Commission under the Technical Standards Directive, Paris aims to prevent legal conflicts with EU internal market rules. French President Emmanuel Macron has urged fellow member states to adopt identical standards, arguing that fragmented national rules create compliance confusion for global platforms and reduce user safety.

Tech industry trade bodies have signaled cautious openness to the revised approach, welcoming the shift away from identity-document collection mandates toward feature-level design restrictions that protect youth without requiring intrusive personal surveillance.

Sources

Social Media France Digital Safety European Union Tech Policy