France submits revised plan to ban social media for under-15s

TBT DESK: France has submitted a revised proposal to ban social media use by children under 15 after the country’s top constitutional authority rejected an earlier version of the legislation, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.

The government notified the European Commission of the new draft following what Macron described as “rigorous technical work”, a key step to ensure the proposed legislation complies with European Union law.

France’s Constitutional Council struck down the previous legislation in mid-August, ruling that part of the measure amounted to an unnecessary infringement on the freedom of expression of those affected.

Macron has made restricting social media access for children and teenagers a major priority and wants the ban to be operational before he leaves office next year.

He has also urged other European Union countries to adopt similar measures.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to address the possibility of a bloc-wide social media ban for children in a speech in Brussels this week.

A growing number of countries are moving to restrict children’s access to social media amid increasing warnings about its potentially harmful effects on young people.