On Thursday, September 11th, a French parliamentary committee proposed a full ban on social media for children under 15. This would be joined by a nighttime “digital curfew” for users aged 15 to 18.
The committee’s report proposed that the ban on social media for children under 15 could be extended to all users under 18 if, within the next three years, social media platforms fail to comply with European regulations. It also recommended a “digital curfew” for 15- to 18-year-olds, restricting access to social media between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.
These newly published recommendations follow months of hearings that included testimonies from families, social media executives, and influencers.
Flailing president Emmanuel Macron’s office has already signaled support for a ban on social media use for children and young teens, following Australia’s move to draft a similar law prohibiting access for those under 16. In Germany, the data protection chief has also called for a ban for under-16s and recommended decentralised age checks to prevent online grooming.
Committee chief Arthur Delaporte also announced his intention to file a criminal complaint with prosecutors against the popular short-video platform TikTok, accusing it of “endangering the lives” (!) of its users.
The committee, established in March, was originally tasked with investigating TikTok and its psychological impact on minors, following a 2024 lawsuit by seven families who accused the platform of exposing their children to content encouraging suicidal behaviour.
TikTok executives—representing the Chinese company ByteDance—told the parliamentary committee that the app employs AI-driven moderation, which last year identified 98% of content violating its terms of service in France.
