French President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants his government to speed up legal procedures so that a ban on social media for children under 15 can take effect at the beginning of the next school year in September.
In a video shared by French broadcaster BFM-TV, Mr Macron said he had instructed his government to trigger an accelerated legislative process to ensure the proposed law progresses swiftly and is approved by the Senate in time, reports Breaking News..
“The brains of our children and our teenagers are not for sale,” Mr Macron said. “The emotions of our children and our teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated. Neither by American platforms, nor by Chinese algorithms,” reports Breaking News..
His comments came only days after the British government said it would consider banning younger teenagers from social media as part of tougher laws aimed at protecting children from harmful material and excessive screen use.
France’s health watchdog estimates that one in every two teenagers spends between two and five hours per day on a smartphone, reports Breaking News..
A report published in December found that around 90% of children aged 12 to 17 use smartphones daily to access the internet, with 58% using their devices specifically for social media platforms.
The report pointed to a range of negative impacts linked to social network use, including lower self-esteem and greater exposure to content associated with risky behaviours such as self-harm, drug use and suicide, reports Breaking News..
Several French families have taken legal action against TikTok over teenage suicides they claim are connected to harmful online content.
Mr Macron’s office told The Associated Press that the video message was directed to lawmaker Laure Miller, who is sponsoring the Bill scheduled to be examined in a public session on Monday, reports Breaking News..
“We are banning social media for under-15s, and we are going to ban mobile phones in our high schools,” Mr Macron said. “I believe this is a clear rule. Clear for our teenagers, clear for families, clear for teachers, and we are moving forward,” reports Breaking News..
In Australia, officials said social media companies have removed access to approximately 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children since the country introduced a ban on platform use for those under 16.
The legislation sparked intense debate in Australia over technology use, privacy, child protection and mental health, and has encouraged other countries to examine similar restrictions, reports Breaking News..
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