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France approves high school phone ban while court rejects social media restriction for under-15s

France's Constitutional Council cleared the extension of mobile phone bans to high schools while rejecting legislation aimed at blocking younger teens from social networks.

The short version

  • France's Constitutional Council validated expanding existing school mobile phone restrictions to include high school students.
  • The council invalidated the core elements of a proposed law that sought to prohibit social media access for individuals younger than 15.
  • In the U.S., Meta reached a $17 billion settlement with state attorneys general to place limits on teenage screen time.

Key facts

  • France's Constitutional Council upheld an expansion of the country's school mobile phone ban to cover high school students.[France 24]
  • The Constitutional Council struck down the central provisions of a measure aimed at banning social media use for children under 15.[France 24]
  • Meta agreed to pay $17 billion in a settlement with U.S. state attorneys general to implement teen screen time restrictions and avert testimony by Mark Zuckerberg regarding product addiction.[France 24]

What remains uncertain

  • Specific implementation timelines and enforcement mechanisms for the high school phone ban were not detailed.[France 24]

Sources