Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
France’s top court on Friday struck down a law that sought to ban children under 15 from using social media, ruling that it went against fundamental freedoms. The Constitutional Council said parts of the law “disproportionately infringe freedom of expression and communication” and did not provide legal safeguards to protect those rights.
The law, passed last month, had made France the first country in the European Union to approve a blanket ban on social media for children under 15. It was part of a wider push amid growing concerns around the world about the harmful effects of digital content on children.
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Both chambers of the French Parliament had voted in favour of the measure, which also barred the use of mobile phones in high schools. The legislation was among the final major measures adopted during President Emmanuel Macron’s presidency before he leaves office next year.
Macron had wanted the law to come into force at the start of the new school year in September. However, the bill was reviewed to assess whether it complied with the French Constitution before it could take effect.
Responding to the ruling, Macron said in a statement that he was fully determined to see the ban come into force by spring. He said he had asked Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu “with working as quickly as possible on a legally robust proposal that takes into account the decision of the Constitutional Council as well as the European legal framework.”
He added, “On this basis, it will be up to the President of the Republic, the Government, and Parliament to determine the means and mechanisms needed to protect our children from social media by the end of the current term of office.” The court ruling means the original law cannot take effect as it stands, even as the government says it will try to bring back the measure in a form that meets constitutional and European legal requirements.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
