France’s top court blocks bill banning social media for under-15s

By Pierre P Bairin, Issy Ronald, CNN

(CNN) — France’s top court struck down a bill on Friday that would have banned social media for children under the age of 15, ruling that the ban is too broad and cannot be enforced without infringing on people’s privacy.

The authority, known as the Constitutional Council, ruled that the proposed bill could not sweepingly prohibit minors from social media “without infringing freedom of expression and communication,” and was too broad to consider the individual situation of each minor or the specific risks of each platform.

Last month, French lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of this bill, which would have made it the first country in the European Union to introduce such an age limit.

But bills in France are scrutinized by the Constitutional Council to ensure they comply with the French constitution and new legislation will have to be drafted following this decision.

French President Emmanuel Macron has tasked his Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu with “working, as quickly as possible” on a new version which considers the council’s decision, and underlined his commitment to implementing the ban by spring 2027, his office said in a statement.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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