Why Several Countries Want to Implement This Ban
The use of social media by children and teenagers has raised concerns in recent years, particularly regarding the time spent in front of screens and the lack of content moderation. According to Lucile Coquelin, a professor of Information and Communication Sciences, there is a “considerable risk of exposure to clearly inappropriate content for minors,” such as misogynistic comments, violent images, and extremist discourse. She also highlights the risk of personal exposure through photos, videos, and personal information that can later be used against them.
In June, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his desire to ban social media for minors under 15 due to “an epidemic of bullying in these networks and the imbalance in relationships between boys and girls.”
Which Countries Have Banned Social Media for the Youngest?
Australia took a significant step at the end of 2024 by voting to prohibit social media for minors under 16. This law, set to take effect on December 10, offers few details about its implementation methods.
By the end of July, the United Kingdom launched new regulations requiring strict age verification for websites, social networks, and video platforms.
In Norway, the government aims to set the minimum access age at 15 but has not yet defined a deadline or roadmap for implementation.
In France, a law passed in June 2023 established a “digital majority” at age 15, but it never came into effect due to doubts about its compliance with European legislation. Since the beginning of the year, strict age verification has been imposed on pornographic websites.
In China, where the internet is strictly controlled, restrictions on access for minors have been in place since 2021, including the requirement to identify oneself with a valid ID. Minors under 14 are limited to 40 minutes of Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) per day, and online gaming time for children and teenagers is restricted.
Challenges in Implementation
Olivier Ertzscheid, a professor of Information Sciences at the University of Nantes (France), states that implementing these measures primarily poses compatibility issues between law and technology.
“From a legal standpoint, this already exists: when you sign up for a platform, they ask for your age,” he notes. “However, to establish an effective control, we must create a gap in the area of privacy respect,” he adds.
Some applications, like the French social network Yubo, use the British company Yoti’s age assessment system based on artificial intelligence from an image. However, such devices are very rare.
The European Commission announced in mid-July that it was making available to five EU countries, including France and Spain, a computer tool for age verification.
Applications like TikTok already check a minimum age in certain cases, such as starting a live stream or monetizing digital services, according to Lucile Coquelin. However, the short-video platform has so far refused to generalize this measure for all accounts, stating that this reflection “must be done at the level of all platforms.”
Key Questions and Answers
- Why are several countries considering banning social media for minors? Concerns have risen about the time spent on screens, lack of content moderation, and exposure to inappropriate material.
- Which countries have already implemented such bans? Australia has voted to prohibit social media for minors under 16, while the UK enforces strict age verification for websites and social networks. Norway aims to set a minimum access age at 15, France previously considered a digital majority at 15, and China has long-standing restrictions on internet access for minors.
- What challenges are there in implementing these bans? The main issue is the compatibility between law and technology, particularly regarding privacy concerns. While some platforms like TikTok check users’ ages in specific cases, generalizing this measure remains a challenge.
