Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesByJaroslav LukivPublished2 hours agoFrance's top court has struck down a ban on social media for under-15s, saying it infringed upon freedom of expression.
The legislation was backed by French lawmakers in July, making it the first European country to block young people from the platforms, after concerns over the harmful effects on children's mental health.
Friday's ruling by the Constitutional Council overrides the ban, which Emmanuel Macron had pledged would be introduced in stages from September.
Em resposta às notícias, o presidente francês pediu imediatamente ao primeiro-ministro Sébastien Lecornu que preparasse um novo projeto que levasse em consideração todos os pontos do conselho.
After lawmakers voted through the bill last month, Lecornu referred parts of the legislation to the council - a nine-member authority that checks whether a law complies with the constitution - for review.
The Constitutional Council said it had found that Article 1 of the legislation "constitutes an infringement that is neither appropriate, necessary, nor proportionate" to the freedom of expression and communication for under-15s.
The ruling also raised concerns over the law's requirement to provide proof of age to access online services and said it failed to establish "the legal safeguards necessary.
O escritório de Macron disse após a decisão que o governo francês trabalharia "o mais rápido possível" para propor um novo projeto e disse que o presidente estava determinado a ver a reforma implementada no início de 2027.
The original legislation had envisaged that from September all those under-15 would not be able to open accounts, and verification would be required on all new accounts.
And from January, this would have applied to all existing accounts.
Opponents have repeatedly questioned the law's viability and raised concerns over privacy, the efficacy of age-verification tools, the risks of young people bypassing them, and how quickly the ban has been designed and brought in.
Australia was the first country to introduce last December a social media ban for those under-16, although it is widely acknowledged that many in the country continue to use the platforms.
Legislation restricting young people's access to social media has been ramping up around Europe in the past few months.
Em maio, a presidente da Comissão Europeia, Ursula von der Leyen, propôs um "atraso nas mídias sociais" para crianças na UE, afirmando que uma nova legislação poderia ser apresentada em meses.
In the UK, former British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced in June that under-16s in the UK will be banned from social media from January 2027. An optional midnight curfew for UK teens aged 16 and 17 was also announced.
Did Australia's under-16s social media ban work? Published21 March.
Social media ban - bold and blunt, but no silver bullet.
Fontes
Informação baseada em material público de BBC World, reescrito pela redação ULTRA NOTÍCIAS.
