Big step by French government, becomes the first EU country to ban social media for children under 15 years of age

New Delhi: France has taken the biggest step so far regarding children’s social media use. The country’s Parliament has approved a law banning social media platforms for children under 15 years of age. With this, France has become the first country in the European Union, where preparations are on to implement a comprehensive ban on social media for children of this age. This decision has come at a time when there is increasing concern around the world about the increasing impact of social media on the mental health of children and adolescents.

Both houses of the French Parliament approved this law on Tuesday. This is being considered one of the major policy initiatives of President Emmanuel Macron’s tenure. Macron is set to step down from the presidency next year and wants the law to come into force with the start of the new academic session in September. However, before the law is implemented, the process of its constitutional review will be completed. If any legal objection comes to light during this period, there may be a delay in its implementation.

Parents and child protection organizations welcomed

The new law has received widespread support from parents and organizations working to protect children. For a long time, these organizations have been saying that the existing rules are not providing adequate protection to children from dangerous and harmful material available online.

Gale Burbonde, 52, a resident of the Paris area, said her family had long demanded such a law. She said her daughter was given a smartphone at an early age and the family also used parental controls to monitor her online activities. Despite this, the family had no idea about some of the content present on TikTok.

According to Barbonde, within a few months her daughter’s mental condition started deteriorating. She started self-harming and later faced problems like anorexia and depression. He had to stay in the hospital for about one and a half years for treatment. Now she is 16 years old and her condition has improved.

Debate increased due to lawsuits against TikTok

In France, the debate over children’s social media use intensified when many families started legal action against TikTok. These families alleged that the harmful content present on the platform had a serious impact on the teenagers and in some cases it was even linked to incidents like suicide. Questions are also being raised continuously regarding the algorithms of social media platforms. Critics say these algorithms can expose children and teens to content related to self-harm, suicide and other dangerous topics. For this reason, pressure is increasing on many governments to make strict rules for the online safety of children.

What are the provisions in the new law

Under the new law, children below 15 years of age will be prevented from using social media platforms. Apart from this, the use of mobile phones will also be strictly enforced in high schools in France. However, this restriction will not apply to all online services. Online encyclopedias, education-related platforms and websites providing scientific information have been kept out of this, so that students’ studies and access to essential educational materials are not affected.

Age verification is the biggest challenge

After the law has been approved, many questions are being raised regarding its actual implementation. According to Ines Legendre, legal advisor at online child protection organization e-Enfance, implementing the ban will not be easy. The biggest challenge will be how the platforms will detect whether a user is under 15 years of age or not. Apart from this, it will also be difficult to identify the already existing accounts which are being run by underage children. Creating a system for age verification for new accounts will also be a big challenge.

Opposition raised questions on the law

Not all political parties in France supported this law. MPs from the leftist party ‘France Unbowd’ voted against it. He says that questions may be raised on the constitutional validity of the law. The opposition also expressed concern that this law could affect online anonymity. Apart from this, there will also be a possibility of bypassing the ban through technical means. Critics believe that accurate identification of age will be very important to implement any law.

Concern about teenagers’ smartphone use

Reports from the French health regulator have also expressed concern about the increasing use of smartphones and social media among teenagers. According to statistics, almost one out of every two teenagers uses a smartphone for two to five hours daily. About 90 percent of children aged 12 to 17 years use the Internet daily through smartphones. A large number of them use their phones for social networking sites. Experts say that prolonged use of social media can cause low self-esteem and mental health problems.

Changes in law following EU rules

Before the law got its final approval, the European Commission had expressed concern about some of its provisions. The Commission believed that some parts of the original bill could conflict with the EU’s Digital Services Act. After this, French MPs made some changes in the bill. After the amended law has been approved by both the Houses of Parliament, the way has been cleared for its implementation.

Many countries are banning children’s use of social media

France’s decision is part of a similar debate going on in many countries of the world. Many countries, including Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Türkiye and Britain, have made rules to limit children’s access to social media. At the same time, countries like Canada, Greece, Denmark and Spain are also considering imposing age-based restrictions on social media for minors.