France evaluates Tiktok’s announcement under 15 years: risks for mental health, digital curfew and possible legal action against the platform
Tiktok endangers the mental health of teenagers. To say, from France, it is the commission of investigation dedicated to the social platform and the prohibition of its use for children under 15 years has been recommended on this prerequisite.
The recommendations highlighted in the report published today aim to establish “a crime of digital negligence” for “irresponsible” parents and a “digital curfew” from 22:00 to 8:00 for young people aged 15 to 18. The proposals also includes an information campaign on the risks of the use of the social network.
In addition to mental health, according to the Commission, the negative effects extend to sleep disorders, loss of concentration and self -esteem.
The statements of the rapporteur graduate Miller
The rapporteur of the Commission, the deputy graduate Miller (Ensemble Pour La République), told the FP that these measures want to “give a signal to both children and parents and before the 15 years” social media “are not harmless”.
The report is the result of listening to 178 experts and the collection of testimonies. Always Miller, referring to the social platform, commented: «This is a company that does not worry about the mental health of our young people. Inside Tiktok they can say that they attribute a lot of importance to this aspect, but they are not making efforts that could easily make. “
The investigations and the context
The commission’s work started in March: in addition to the experts, the parents of the victims, influencers and social media managers in order to analyze the Tiktok algorithm were listened to. The goal is to “contrast an algorithmic trap that can compromise the health of young people”.
The initiative was born after, in November last year, seven French families sued the platform: the accusation was to have endangered their children by exposing them to content that incited suicide and encouraged eating disorders.
Tiktok’s defense
In front of the analysis developed by the Commission, Tiktok tried to defend himself, claiming that in 2024 98% of the contents that violated the terms of use of France was removed thanks to the use of artificial intelligence in the moderation system.
However, for French deputies the measures of the Chinese social social network remain insufficient, given that they are “easy to get around” rules.
Géraldine, the mother of an 18 -year -old girl who died suicide in 2024, denounced the lack of online moderation and explained to the FP: “When you type the word” suicide “, they indicate to call a number of assistance: they hide behind this to say that they protect children”.
Between September 2023 and December 2024, the number of French moderators on Tiktok decreased by 26%: teenagers therefore remain exposed to potentially dangerous content.
The announcement of a legal action
The president of the parliamentary commission on Tiktok, the socialist Arthur Delaporte, announced today that he will resort to lawyers. “The verdict is clear: this platform consciously exposes our children, our young people, to toxic, dangerous and depending content,” wrote in the preface of the relationship.
To Italianinfo he then told that the managers of the platform “said they were not aware of anything” regarding some practices of Tiktok, which, according to him, does not correspond to reality.
In the letter addressed to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Delaporte speaks of “a possible responsibility of the platform in endangering the life of others through aggravated abstention and complicity active in mechanisms of spreading dangerous content, harassment and lack of response to attacks on the dignity of people”.
