France Implements Social Media Ban For Children Under 15

PARIS (AP) — French lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday ban children As concerns grow worldwide about the harmful effects of digital content on children, France has banned under-15s from using social media, becoming the first country in the European Union to approve a blanket ban on the platforms.

Both houses of parliament voted in favor of the measure, the flagship initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron’s second term. The bill also bans the use of mobile phones in high schools.

Several families in France A lawsuit was filed against TikTok They say teen suicides are linked to harmful content. Child advocates and parents applauded the vote.

“We have been campaigning for this bill from the beginning because, frankly, we have no other option, no other way to confront the tech giants,” said Gaëlle Berbonde, 52, who lives in the Paris area. “All we can do is protect our children the same way we protect them from alcohol.”

Berbonde told The Associated Press that her daughter was in seventh grade when she got her first smartphone. A parental control app helped him keep track of what he was doing online, but Berbonde had no idea what TikTok actually was. A few months later, the family noticed that their daughter was cutting herself and suffering from anorexia and depression. He spent a year and a half in hospital, but he is now 16 and doing well.

The law is one of the last major measures adopted during Macron’s presidency before he leaves office next year. Macron wants the law to come into force at the start of the new school year in September. However, an investigation is likely to be carried out to determine whether the bill complies with the French Constitution, which could delay the implementation of the law.

The ban does not include online encyclopedias or educational or scientific directories.

Lawmakers from the left-wing France Unbowed party opposed the bill, arguing that its constitutionality was unclear, would effectively end online anonymity and would be impossible to enforce.

Ines Legendre, legal counsel for online protection group e-Enfance, said the law would not immediately amount to an outright ban.

“We will also need to address the issue of existing accounts for those under 15. How do we detect them? How do we suspend them? There is also the issue of age verification for all new accounts that will come into effect,” he said.

According to France’s health watchdog, one in every two young people spends two to five hours a day on a smartphone. A report published in December said nearly 90% of children ages 12 to 17 use smartphones every day to access the internet, while 58% use their devices for social networking.

The report highlighted a range of harmful effects resulting from the use of social networks, including reduced self-confidence and increased exposure to content associated with risky behavior such as self-harm, drug use and suicide.

Later European Commission Lawmakers held final negotiations on Monday, finding that the latest version of the bill overlaps with the EU’s Digital Services Act, which introduces strict rules aimed at keeping internet users safe online. Them agreement reached On an amended version of the legislation, this was then presented to both houses for a final vote.

Catherine Gashka and Alex Turnbull in Paris contributed to this report.