French Parliamentary Body Calls for Ban on Social Media Use by Children Under 15

A French parliamentary commission investigating TikTok’s psychological impact has recommended banning social media access for children under 15 and introducing a “digital curfew” for teenagers aged 15 to 18, according to a report published on Thursday.

Rapporteur and lawmaker Laure Miller said the proposed ban would send “a clear message to both children and parents that before 15, social media is not harmless.”

The commission was set up in March after seven families filed lawsuits against TikTok in late 2024, accusing the platform of exposing minors to harmful content that could drive them toward suicide. Lawmakers heard testimonies from grieving families, social media executives, and influencers before drawing up their proposals. One parent, Geraldine, 52, whose 18-year-old daughter Penelope took her life, later discovered videos of self-harm her daughter had posted and watched on TikTok. “It’s difficult for us as parents to control all of this,” she told AFP, requesting her surname not be disclosed.

TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, has repeatedly said youth safety is its top priority. The company claims to remove more than 95 percent of harmful content within 24 hours and 90 percent before it is viewed.

Alongside the under-15 ban, the commission suggests a curfew that would block social media access for 15- to 18-year-olds between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. If platforms fail to meet their legal responsibilities under the EU’s Digital Services Act within three years, the report even calls for a total ban on social media use by anyone under 18.

The recommendations also include a nationwide awareness campaign about online risks and the creation of a new offence for “digital negligence” aimed at holding irresponsible parents accountable.

Miller noted that recent European Commission guidelines have “opened the door to national regulation,” stressing that effective age verification at registration is key. However, such steps face obstacles, including platform resistance, technical challenges, and concerns over personal freedoms.

Several EU countries, including France, Spain, and Greece, have already urged Brussels to strengthen regulations on children’s social media use, citing worries about addictive behavior, cyberbullying, and the spread of hate speech.