The French Parliament has passed a very strict and important law to protect the mental health of children. Both Houses of Parliament have approved a proposal to completely ban social media for children below the age of 15. Along with this, France has become the first country in the European Union to take such drastic measures. Under this presidential campaign by President Emmanuel Macron, there will now be a complete ban on the use of mobile phones even in high schools, so that students can focus on their studies.
Social media has become the cause of mental illness
Several families in France have filed lawsuits against major tech companies like TikTok over child suicide and child abuse. Victims’ families have alleged that the dangerous content available on this platform is making children mentally ill. A mother shared her pain, saying that after getting a mobile in the seventh standard, her daughter fell victim to depression and severe mental problems that led to her spending a long time in hospital. It is for this reason that parents are considering this law as the only cure to save children.
The digital world will be reined in
Under this new law, social media accounts of children below 15 years will be completely banned and the use of mobile phones in high school premises is also banned. However, online encyclopedias, educational and science related websites are exempted from this rule. The government intends to implement this law from September i.e. from the new academic session itself, but closing old accounts and verifying the age of new users is proving to be a big challenge for the system. Necessary amendments have been made in this bill to align with the Digital Services Act of the European Union.
Other countries are also taking a stricter path
The law has been vehemently opposed by Left Party MPs who believe that the rule will make it extremely difficult to implement on a technical level. However, France has become the fifth country in the world to take such drastic measures. Earlier, countries like Australia, Britain, Turkey and Indonesia have also passed laws banning social media for children under the age of 15 or 16. Positive results are expected from these measures taken globally to protect children from digital threats and online addiction.
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