France’s constitutional council strikes down under-15 social media ban

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.

France's top court ruled that a social media ban for under-15s would infringe on free expression and privacy. 

France's top court has blocked a controversial law aimed at banning social media for children under 15. This ruling temporarily spares internet users from a subsequent planned crackdown on virtual private networks.

France's attempt to ban social media for under-15s has been blocked by the Constitutional Council, which ruled the measure unconstitutional. Speaking to FRANCE 24, Peter Craddock, Senior Attorney advising social media companies, said the decision was unsurprising, arguing that the proposed law imposed a blanket ban without taking into account differences between platforms or children's levels of maturity. The court found that the measure infringed on the fundamental freedom of expression and information.

France’s Constitutional Court has struck down a law that would have banned children under 15 from social media, ruling that it disproportionately infringed on freedom of expression and raised privacy concerns over age verification. The government plans to draft a revised bill, with Emmanuel Macron citing concerns over the impact of social media on children’s mental and physical health.

France's Constitutional Council has struck down a law that would have banned children under 15 from social media, ruling that it disproportionately restricted freedom of expression and lacked adequate privacy safeguards around age verification. President Emmanuel Macron has asked the government to rewrite the measure, with the goal of putting a revised version in place before spring 2027. Reuters reports: "The Council holds that the contested provisions, on the one hand, disproportionately infringe upon the freedom of expression and communication and, on the other, fail to provide the legal safeguards necessary to ensure the right to respect for private life," it said. 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. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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…

France's top court has struck down a law banning children under 15 from using social media, saying it infringes on fundamental freedoms

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.

France's highest court has rejected a proposed law that would prevent children under fifteen from using social media, citing concerns over privacy and fundamental rights. President Macron is urging a swift revision of the legislation to create a stronger framework for child protection, with hopes that this updated ban will be implemented by spring 2027.

France must wait a bit longer to become the European Union's first member state to ban social media for children after its proposed law was struck down by France's constitutional council. [Read More]

Constitutional council says curbs infringe freedom of expression and privacy as president vows to rework legislationFrance’s top court has blocked a ban on social media access for under-15s, ruling that it infringed freedom of expression and privacy.The decision is a blow to President Emmanuel Macron as momentum builds around the world for Australian-style restrictions on children’s use of social media. Continue reading...

The Constitutional Council - the top court in France - has struck down a law banning children under 15 from using social media, saying it infringes on fundamental freedoms.

The Constitutional Council says it infringes upon freedom of expression - but President Macron vows to prepare a new draft.

The bill would have barred children younger than 15 from opening a social media account starting September 1.

France top court strikes down under social media ban

France's social media ban, which was due to take effect on Sept. 1, would have barred younger users from networks such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.

President Macron has asked the government to rewrite France's proposed social media ban for children.

France's top court has struck down a law banning children under 15 from using social media, saying it infringes on fundamental freedoms

France’s Constitutional Council has blocked a bill that would have banned social media access for under-15s, ruling that it infringed on freedom of expression. It’s a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who has championed the legislation and has now asked his prime minister to rewrite the bill. The Élysée says Macron remains determined to have the reform in place before next year’s presidential election. France 24 International Affairs editor tells us more.

Constitutional Council says law is a ‘disproportionate infringement on freedom of expression’

The Constitutional Council found that the legislation infringed on the freedom of expression and communication of those under 15.

Legislation passed by French MPs to ban under-15s from accessing social media infringes upon freedom of expression, the country's top court says.

Legislation passed by French MPs to ban under-15s from accessing social media infringes upon freedom of expression, the country's top court says.

Denying access to platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and YouTube for under-15s would infringe upon freedom of expression, the Constitutional Council has said.

Denying access to platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and YouTube for under-15s would infringe upon freedom of expression, the Constitutional Council has said.

The Constitutional Council found that Article 1 of the legislation "constitutes an infringement that is neither appropriate, necessary, nor proportionate" to the freedom of expression and communication of those under 15.

The decision lands about two weeks before the ban was due to start, Bloomberg reported. Platforms were to stop creating accounts for under-15s from 1 September. Parliament gave the law final approval on 21 July. The desk covered that final vote at the time. What the Council ruled The Council struck down the ban on […] This story continues at The Next Web

France's Constitutional Council struck down a law on Friday that would have banned children under 15 from using social media from September. The judges ruled that the measure placed a disproportionate restriction on freedom of expression and communication.

France’s top constitutional authority on Friday struck down a ban on social media access for children under 15, ruling that it disproportionately infringed on their freedom of expression.

France’s highest court blocked a ban on social media for children under 15 that was approved in Parliament last month, in a setback for President Emmanuel Macron who championed the bill.

Constitutional council finds that the ⁠bill infringes on freedom of expression and privacy