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France’s top court blocks under-15 social media ban, citing constitutional freedoms

PARIS (AP) — A top court in France on Friday struck down a law banning children under 15 from using social media, saying it infringes on fundamental freedoms.

The Constitutional Council ruled that provisions in the ban “disproportionately infringe freedom of expression and communication” and haven’t provided legal guarantees to ensure those rights, according to a press release summarizing the decision.

France last month became the first country in the European Union to pass a blanket ban on the platforms amid rising worldwide concerns about the harmful effects of digital content on kids.

Both chambers of the Parliament had voted in favor of the measure, which also banned the use of mobile phones in high schools.

The legislation was one of the final major measures adopted under French President Emmanuel Macron’s presidency before he leaves office next year. Macron wanted the law to take effect at the start of the new school year in September, but the bill faced a review to determine whether it complied with the French Constitution.

Responding to the decision, Macron said in a statement that he was fully determined to see the ban take effect by spring and has tasked Prime Minister Sébastien 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.”

“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,” he added.

A physics graduate, a soccer player, a teen who couldn’t swim: They died in the Ceuta migrant surge

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Ayoub Akbili needed money for his mother’s surgery. Hamza Haibouri wanted a shot at a professional soccer career. Abdelouahed Iken was chasing the glossy life a friend posted about on Facebook from Italy. So when they heard rumors that Morocco’s border with Spain was open, they decided to join the rush to try to reach Europe. All three died attempting to cross, becoming victims of the deadliest migration crisis between Morocco and Spain. Fueled by misinformation, poverty and lack of opportunities, more than 70,000 would-be migrants from Morocco and beyond swam or climbed over a breakwater last month to try to reach Ceuta, a Spanish exclave on the North African coast. At least 90 people died attempting to cross the border, according to official figures; rights groups reported a much higher toll. Many families still haven’t been able to retrieve the bodies.
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