France’s top court blocks under-15 social media ban, citing constitutional freedoms

The move was a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ban. He vowed to pass a new version before he leaves office next spring. 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.

PARIS (AP) — A top court in France on Friday struck down a law banning children under 15 from using social media, saying it infringes on fundamental freedoms. The Constitutional Council ruled that provisions in the ban “disproportionately infringe freedom of expression and communication” and haven’t provided legal guarantees to ensure those rights, according to a press release summarizing the decision. France last month became the first country in the European Union to pass a blanket ban on the platforms amid rising worldwide concerns about the harmful effects of digital content on kids.

Both chambers of the Parliament had voted in favor of the measure, which also banned the use of mobile phones in high schools. The legislation was one of the final major measures adopted under French President Emmanuel Macron’s presidency before he leaves office next year. Macron wanted the law to take effect at the start of the new school year in September, but the bill faced a review to determine whether it complied with the French Constitution.

Responding to the decision, Macron said in a statement that he was fully determined to see the ban take effect by spring and has tasked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu “with working as quickly as possible on a legally robust proposal that takes into account the decision of the Constitutional Council as well as the European legal framework.” “On this basis, it will be up to the President of the Republic, the Government, and Parliament to determine the means and mechanisms needed to protect our children from social media by the end of the current term of office,” he added. Denying access to platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and YouTube for under-15s would infringe upon freedom of expression, the Constitutional Council has said.