Key points
- TikTok linked to teen suicides
- Parental negligence may be penalized
- Stricter EU regulation being urged
PARIS: A French parliamentary commission probing the psychological effects of TikTok recommends banning social media for children under 15 and adopting a “digital curfew” for 15- to 18-year-olds, according to a report released Thursday.
The commission was launched in March, after seven families sued TikTok in late 2024 for allegedly exposing their children to content that could push them to suicide, News Agency AFP reported.
It heard from families whose children had killed themselves, social media executives, and influencers on TikTok — owned by China-based ByteDance and used by millions of young people in France — before issuing its recommendations.
Geraldine, 52, lost her daughter Penelope to suicide at the age of 18. After her death, she discovered videos of self-harm that her daughter had posted and viewed on TikTok.
“It’s difficult for us as parents to moderate all this,” she told the media, asking that her last name be withheld.
TikTok
TikTok has regularly said that ensuring the safety of young people is “its top priority”.
The company says it removes more than 95 per cent of inappropriate content within 24 hours, and 90 percent before it has been watched even once.
In addition to the ban for children under 15, the commission recommends a digital curfew for 15- to 18-year-olds to make social media inaccessible between 10:00 pm and 8:00 am.
Banning social media
It recommends going as far as banning social media for everyone under 18 if “social networks do not satisfactorily comply with their legal obligations”, particularly under the EU’s Digital Services Act, within three years.
It also recommends a broad information campaign on social media risks, followed by the creation of a “digital negligence offense” for “irresponsible parents”.
Laure Miller, a lawmaker and rapporteur for the parliamentary commission, reports AFP that recent European Commission guidelines have “opened the door to national regulation”, the key to which is “the implementation of an age verification system at registration”.
However, such measures are hampered by the reluctance of platforms, technical limitations, and concerns about infringing on individual freedoms.
Several EU countries, including France, Spain, and Greece, have called on Brussels to further regulate children’s use of online platforms, amid concerns about their addictive nature and the dangers associated with cyberbullying and the proliferation of hate speech.
Not just under-16s: all Australian social media users will need to prove their age – and it could be complicated and time-consuming, according to The Guardian.
