French Constitutional Council rejects plan to ban social media for under-15s

France's top constitutional authority has blocked government plans to prohibit children younger than 15 from using social networking platforms. After reviewing the proposed measure, the Constitutional Council concluded that it would infringe too heavily on people's rights to free expression and communication.

The council's reasoning

The body found that the proposed ban failed to meet the principle of proportionality, meaning the restrictions it would impose were too broad relative to the goal the government sought to achieve. As a result, the council rejected the initiative, preventing it from entering into force in its current form.

Background

News of the ruling was reported via the Latvian public broadcaster's portal Lsm, which carried it as an international item. The proposed age limit for social media use had been part of a wider debate in France and elsewhere in Europe over how to protect children from potential harms linked to excessive or premature exposure to social platforms. However, the Constitutional Council's decision means that a direct age-based ban, as it was formulated, is not legally permissible, since it affects fundamental rights to freedom of expression and communication.