French Constitutional Council Strikes Down Social Media Ban for Under 15s
17 sources across 12 countries
Who reported this
- Le Monde
- France 24
- Next.ink
- Der Spiegel
- Deutsche Welle
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- Clarin
- Infobae
- Politico Europe
- CNN Brasil
- La Tercera
- Telex
- ANSA
- Aftenposten
- El Pais
- Reuters
- CNN
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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France's highest constitutional authority, the Constitutional Council, struck down a law on Friday that would have prohibited children under the age of 15 from accessing social networks. The court ruled that the measure constituted a disproportionate infringement on the freedom of expression and communication of minors. Additionally, the Council found that the law lacked sufficient legal guarantees to protect the privacy of adults, as the ban would inherently require all users to prove their age without specified conditions or limits on how that data is handled.
The legislation, which was a flagship policy for President Emmanuel Macron, had been passed by the National Assembly and Senate on July 21. It was scheduled to take effect on September 1, making France the first European Union country to implement such a limit. The ban was broad in scope, targeting platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, X, and Instagram, as well as social features of YouTube and messaging apps like WhatsApp. While the law provided exceptions for online encyclopedias and educational projects, the court deemed these too limited.
In its decision, the Council acknowledged the constitutional necessity of protecting the best interests of the child. However, it argued that the ban was too general because it applied to services where risks to the health and safety of minors had not been established. The court also noted that the law failed to consider the individual maturity or family situation of the minors involved.
President Macron has since instructed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to draft a new, legally robust version of the law that aligns with the court's ruling and the European framework. The Elysée Palace stated that the president remains determined to implement the reform by the spring of 2027, coinciding with the end of his term. Meanwhile, the court did not overturn a separate provision of the same law that bans the use of mobile phones in high schools starting September 1.
Some reports also noted that the Constitutional Council approved a separate law regarding the right to assisted dying for adults with incurable illnesses.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the victory for freedom of expression and the role of left wing lawmakers in challenging the law.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the legal specifics of the ruling and the procedural steps for the government to rewrite the law.
- Centre-right
- These outlets framed the event as a setback for President Macron while highlighting the global trend of similar bans in other countries.
Sources
- Centre ANSA: The French Constitutional Court rejects the social media ban for under 15s
- Centre-right Aftenposten: France's highest court blocks age limit on social media
- Centre-left CNN: France’s top court blocks bill banning social media for under-15s
- Centre CNN Brasil: Justice of France overturns social media ban for under 15s
- Centre-right Clarin: France: the highest constitutional authority contradicted Macron and rejected the prohibition of social networks for minors under 15 years
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: France: Constitutional Council overturns social media ban for under 15s
- Centre Deutsche Welle: France: Top court blocks social media ban for children
- Centre-left El Pais: France's Constitutional Council annuls the law prohibiting social networks for minors under 15
- Centre France 24: 🔴 The Constitutional Council censures the ban on social networks for under 15s
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: "Disproportionate": French Constitutional Council overturns social media ban for under 15s
- Centre-right Infobae: The French Constitutional Court censures the prohibition of social networks for minors under 15
- Centre-right Infobae: The French Constitutional Court strikes down the law to prohibit social networks for minors under 15 and approves the euthanasia law
- Centre-right Infobae: The French Constitutional Council overturns the prohibition of social media use for minors under 15
- Centre-right La Tercera: Setback for Macron: French Constitutional Court blocks the prohibition of social networks for minors under 15 years
- Centre-left Le Monde: The ban on social networks for under 15s censored by the Constitutional Council, in the name of freedom of expression
- Centre Next.ink: The Constitutional Council censures the age check of internet users, minors or not
- Centre Politico Europe: French court shoots down social media ban for under 15s
- Centre Reuters: France's top court blocks social media ban for under-15s - Reuters
- Centre Telex: Banning French youths under 15 from social networks is unconstitutional
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.