France's top court blocks social media ban for under-15s

The French Constitutional Council just landed a decisive blow against paternalistic tech policy—and it's a masterclass in the anatomy of a bad law. This isn't a rejection of child safety; it's a rejection of blunt instruments. The court correctly identified that a blanket, untested ban for under-15s is a disproportionate infringement on fundamental rights of expression and assembly. In a panic to "protect the children," French lawmakers drafted a sledgehammer when the job called for a scalpel. Privacy advocates and constitutional purists are exhaling; tech platforms, for once, are silent winners. What does this signal? That the tide of knee-jerk regulation sweeping Brussels is hitting the rocks of constitutional scrutiny. The EU's Digital Services Act pushes for age-verification, but France just proved that the *method* matters as much as the *mission*. When lawmakers can't objectively define a "safe" online space without banning it entirely, they reveal that they don't understand the product they're trying to regulate. The broader takeaway for the global landscape is clear: Legislatures propose, but courts dispose. Expect this ruling to echo in boardrooms from San Francisco to London, as legal teams cite it as precedent against mandatory bans everywhere. The pendulum of internet governance swings between protection and freedom unobstructed. But France just proved the brakes work better than the engine.