FRANCE'S TOP COURT STRIKES DOWN UNDER-15 SOCIAL MEDIA BAN

France's Constitutional Council ruled on Friday that a law banning children under 15 from social media infringes fundamental freedoms and cannot proceed in its current form. The court found that provisions in the ban "disproportionately infringe freedom of expression and communication" and lack adequate legal safeguards. The legislation, passed by both chambers of Parliament last month, would also have prohibited mobile phone use in secondary schools. France had become the first EU member state to pass such a blanket ban on social media platforms.

The Constitutional Council identified a specific constitutional problem: the law requires all users to prove their age before accessing social media, including adults, yet the legislation failed to specify the conditions and limits under which age verification must occur. This omission meant the measure did not establish the legal protections necessary to comply with constitutional requirements on freedom of expression. President Emmanuel Macron had sought to implement the ban at the start of the school year in September, framing it as a response to concerns about harmful digital content affecting young people.

Macron stated he remained determined to see restrictions on social media use take effect by spring 2025. He tasked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu with developing a "legally robust proposal" that accounts for the Constitutional Council's decision and European legal requirements. The government and Parliament will determine what mechanisms can protect children from social media whilst meeting constitutional standards before the end of the current presidential term.