France's Constitutional Council Strikes Down Under-15 Social Media Ban; Macron Orders Rewrite

France's Constitutional Council blocked a law barring under-15s from social media on 14 August 2026, ruling it disproportionately infringed freedom of expression and lacked privacy safeguards. The law, passed by parliament in July, would have taken effect in September. President Macron has asked Prime Minister Lecornu to rework the legislation before the spring 2027 presidential election. The council flagged structural flaws in age-verification requirements.