Should children be scrolling through TikTok before they’re old enough to drive?
France doesn’t think so. The country has become the first in the European Union to ban social media for children under 15.
It joins a growing global push to curb young people’s screen time.
The law, strongly backed by President Emmanuel Macron, is set to take effect this school year.
“The brains of our children and our teenagers are not for sale,” Macron declared, arguing that young minds should not be manipulated by powerful algorithms.
The legislation will require major social media platforms to introduce age checks, although exactly how that will work remains unclear.
France’s digital regulator, Arcom, will oversee enforcement.
Supporters say the move addresses a growing mental health concern.
New French Law Targets Algorithms
Arcom reports that French teenagers spend an average of 1 hour and 21 minutes daily on TikTok.
Recommendation algorithms can amplify extreme or harmful content.
Experts and parents welcome the direction but say the law is only part of the solution.
French Education Minister Édouard Geffray cautioned, “Bans alone won’t be enough.
We can’t just restrict, we have to educate.” Amnesty International France echoed that view, calling for addictive platform features to be tackled as well.
The debate is far from over—but one thing is clear: in the battle between childhood and algorithms, governments are beginning to pick a side.
