For 10 days, students across France have been protesting to address a range of issues, including the absence of teachers, a shortage of educational staff, and the poor condition of school buildings. The protests have escalated into violence, some of which is believed to be orchestrated by organized groups that are not necessarily made up of students. These groups have used social media to coordinate their activities, raising concerns about the role of digital platforms in public unrest. In response, Nicolas Isnard, the mayor of Salon-de-Provence and president of the Metropolis, proposed temporarily suspending social media access for adolescents. However, legal experts have questioned the feasibility of such a measure, citing existing legal precedents that make it difficult to implement. In May 2024, the government attempted to restrict access to Tiktok on the island of New Caledonia after a series of riots. However, the Council of State, France's highest administrative court, rejected the ban a year later, establishing a clear legal framework for such restrictions. The Council ruled that a social media ban is only permissible if it is indispensable in the face of events of "particular gravity," when no less intrusive alternatives are available, and when the interruption is limited in duration and necessary to implement those alternatives. These conditions make the implementation of a social media ban legally complex. Legal experts have highlighted the challenges of defining "limited duration" in the context of such restrictions. Jonathan Elkaim, a lawyer specializing in digital issues, explained that suspending a service for all users is only permissible if there are no other technical means to address the situation and if the measures are not overly intrusive to individual freedoms. Fabrice Epelboin, another specialist, warned that the use of social media threatens the rule of law and human rights, pointing to a broader regression in these areas linked to digital technologies. However, Elkaim emphasized that most students using social media are not involved in violent acts such as setting fires or insulting the police. Blocking social media access for all users would be a disproportionate response to the actions of a small minority, according to Elkaim. Alexandre Archambault, a lawyer specializing in digital matters, added that blocking a platform used by millions is strictly regulated in the European Union, including France, and would require a judicial decision even in exceptional circumstances. Elkaim suggested that the government could rely on the Digital Services Act (DSA), a European regulation that requires social networks to moderate content reported as illegal or violating their terms of use. Article 36 of the DSA allows for a platform to suspend a functionality "in case of crisis," but the existence of a crisis must be confirmed by Europe. Emergency procedures at the European level could allow for the blocking of certain functions, but a total ban would likely face legal challenges.