Milan, Aug. 14 (LaPresse) — French President Emmanuel Macron has tasked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu with drafting a new version of the law banning social media for children under 15 “as soon as possible”—a text that is “legally sound” and “takes into account the Constitutional Council’s decision and the European framework.” This was reported by the Élysée Palace after the French Constitutional Council today struck down the bill that Parliament had approved in July, ruling that it constitutes a “disproportionate restriction” on freedom of expression. “The law aimed at protecting minors from the risks posed by the use of social media has been criticized by the Constitutional Council,” explains the Élysée Palace, adding that “while, at France’s initiative, more than thirty countries around the world are moving toward banning access to social media for young people in the coming months, and the European Commission is working to harmonize these provisions at the EU level, the goal pursued by the Head of State since 2017 regarding the protection of minors online remains unchanged: to safeguard the best interests and well-being of our children, as the negative effects of social media on them are scientifically documented.”
France: Macron Tasks Prime Minister with Rewriting Law on Social Media Ban for Children Under 15
Milan, Aug. 14 (LaPresse) — French President Emmanuel Macron has tasked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu with drafting a new version of the law banning social media for children under 15 “as soon as possible”—a text that is “legally sound” and “takes into account the Constitutional Council’s decision and the European framework.” This was reported by the Élysée Palace after the French Constitutional Council today struck down the bill that Parliament had approved in July, ruling that it constitutes a “disproportionate restriction” on freedom of expression. “The law aimed at protecting minors from the risks posed by the use of social media has been criticized by the Constitutional Council,” explains the Élysée Palace, adding that “while, at France’s initiative, more than thirty countries around the world are moving toward banning access to social media for young people in the coming months, and the European Commission is working to harmonize these provisions at the EU level, the goal pursued by the Head of State since 2017 regarding the protection of minors online remains unchanged: to safeguard the best interests and well-being of our children, as the negative effects of social media on them are scientifically documented.”