French children under 15 should be banned from social media, and there should be an overnight 'digital curfew' for 15-18 year olds, a parliamentary commission has recommended.
The six-month inquiry into the psychological effects of TikTok on minors has found that the short video-sharing platform knowingly exposes our children, our young people to toxic, dangerous and addictive content.
We must force TikTok to rethink its model, says the commission, which heard testimony from teenagers and the families of young victims.
TikTok responded, stating it categorically rejected the commission's misleading characterisation of the platform and claimed to have implemented safety measures that were not recognized by the inquiry.
The French commission describes TikTok as a significant source of distress for young users, citing the need for the platform to improve its approach to content moderation.
This report comes on the heels of Australia’s decision, effective December 10, to prohibit social media accounts for children under 16 unless they receive parental consent.
Testimonies collected during the inquiry included alarming accounts from parents, with some sharing heartbreaking experiences of losing children due to harmful content promoted on TikTok.
The inquiry's 43 recommendations aim to protect children, including:
- A ban on social media for under-15s
- A prohibition on app usage overnight from 22:00 to 08:00
- A ban on mobile phones in schools
- A potential crime of 'digital negligence' for parents failing to safeguard their children online.
The chairman of the inquiry, Arthur Delaporte, has also referred allegations against TikTok to French legal authorities, emphasizing the importance of addressing children’s safety in digital spaces.
France joins several EU nations, including Denmark and Spain, in exploring regulations on children's social media use as industry-wide pressures mount for protective measures in the digital age.
