France rules social media ban for children illegal
The Constitutional Council concluded that the new law would restrict the freedom of speech and communication of children under 15 years of age, and that this restriction was "neither appropriate, necessary, nor proportionate."
France has ruled that a law banning social media for children under 15 is illegal. The country's highest constitutional body, the Constitutional Council, has ruled that the law, which was passed by parliament in July and which President Emmanuel Macron promised to put into effect in September, is unconstitutional.
The Constitutional Council concluded that the new law restricts the freedom of expression and communication of children under 15, and that this restriction is "neither appropriate, necessary nor proportionate."
In response to the Constitutional Council's decision, the Elysee Palace said that President Macron had instructed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to draft a new, "legally sound" bill as soon as possible, AFP reported.
The Constitutional Council is not a traditional court. Its members are ex officio former French presidents, while the other members are appointed by the president of the republic and the presidents of the chambers of parliament. The council assesses the compliance of the legislation with the French Constitution and its decisions are final.
Macron’s administration has stressed that the president is firm in his intention to impose a ban on social media for children.
According to a law passed by the Senate and National Assembly in July, from January next year, anyone under the age of 15 would be banned from using social media. Most popular social networks allow registration from the age of 13, but there are additional restrictions on the communication, communication and content that minors can view.
Since September, age verification has been required when creating a new account, and from January, every French citizen will have to confirm that they are over 15 to use social media.
Age verification would have to be carried out by the platforms themselves, using tools approved by the French data protection supervisory authority.
While the need for such measures is being discussed in many countries, including the UK, the only country to have such legislation in place is Australia. Many experts believe that the law is not working and that many teenagers are still using social media freely.