France lawmakers push for social media ban on children, digital curfew for teens

France could soon introduce one of the world's toughest restrictions on social media use among minors, as a parliamentary committee on Thursday recommended a complete ban for children under 15 and a nighttime "digital curfew" for teenagers aged 15 to 18, according to media reports.

The proposals come after months of hearings with families, social media executives, and influencers, amid mounting alarm over the harmful effects of platforms such as TikTok on young people's mental health.

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As per reports, President Emanuel Macron's office has already signalled support for a social media ban on children and young adolescents, echoing moves in Australia, which last year began drafting a law to prohibit social media access for under-16s.

Arthur Delaporte, the committee's chief, went a step further, telling AFP that he would file a criminal complaint against TikTok, accusing the app of "endangering the lives" of its users. The committee was originally established in March to study TikTok's impact on minors following a 2024 lawsuit by seven families who accused the platform of exposing their children to harmful content that drove them towards self-harm and suicide.

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TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, has stressed that user safety remains its "top priority." Executives told the committee that its AI-powered moderation systems caught 98 percent of harmful content in France last year. However, lawmakers countered that TikTok's safeguards are "easy to circumvent," allowing harmful videos to flourish, reports added.

One parent, Geraldine, whose 18-year-old daughter took her own life last year, shared a harrowing account of discovering self-harm videos her daughter had published and consumed on TikTok, as per reports.

The committee’s report further accused TikTok of misleading lawmakers, pointing to leaked internal documents suggesting the company knew of the app’s risks.

Delaporte said TikTok’s Europe, Middle East and Africa chief Marlene Masure may have lied under oath when she denied awareness of these harms, reports added.

Under the recommendations, if social media platforms fail to comply with EU regulations within the next three years, the proposed under-15 ban could be expanded to cover all minors under 18.

For now, the suggested "digital curfew" would block access to social media for teenagers aged 15 to 18 between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.

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