French children under 15 should be banned from social media and there should be an overnight digital curfew for 15-18 year olds, a parliamentary commission has recommended.
The six-month inquiry into the psychological effects of TikTok on minors has found that the short video-sharing platform knowingly exposes our children, our young people to toxic, dangerous and addictive content.
We must force TikTok to rethink its model, says the commission, which heard testimony from teenagers and the families of young victims.
TikTok responded saying it categorically rejected the commission's misleading characterization of our platform which sought to scapegoat our company on industry-wide and societal challenges.
TikTok has an ongoing robust trust and safety programme with more than 70 features and settings designed specifically to support the safety and well-being of teens and families on our platform, a spokesperson said in a statement.
The company's measures have however failed to impress the French cross-party commission of inquiry, which describes TikTok as one of the worst social media platforms - a production line of distress for young people. It argues TikTok has failed to take sufficient action to reduce teenagers being exposed to a spiral of harmful content.
The recommendations of the French parliamentary inquiry come amid a growing wave of legislation in Europe seeking to limit children's exposure to social media. Denmark is considering a similar ban for under-15s, while Spain pushes for a draft law requiring parental consent for under-16s.
Lead inquiry author Laure Miller explained that the idea of an offense for parents of digital negligence was really just an extension of existing law. If a six-year-old child spends seven hours a day in front of TikTok, we can ask ourselves the question: 'are their safety and morality really protected by their parents?' she stated.
