A groundbreaking report from the French parliament, released on Thursday, has sparked widespread debate with its stringent proposals for regulating minors' access to social media. The recommendations include a complete prohibition of social media accounts for children under 15 and a "digital curfew" from 10 PM to 8 AM for teenagers aged 15 to 18.

The parliamentary committee’s report pushes for these dramatic steps to tackle issues like addiction, sleep disruption, and the risk of exposure to harmful content. This initiative aligns with concerns raised by President Emmanuel Macron, who, following a tragic school stabbing in June, expressed his intention to enforce a social media ban for those under 15. Macron indicated that while France would prefer to craft these regulations with European partners, it might proceed alone if necessary.

The exhaustive inquiry that led to these recommendations involved months of gathering insights from various experts, including child psychologists and representatives from significant social media platforms. Notably, the report harshly criticizes TikTok’s algorithm, suggesting it promotes addictive behaviors and exposes users to a deluge of detrimental content. This has led to a call for an investigation into whether TikTok might be criminally accountable under French law for endangering the lives of its users.

In response, TikTok has vehemently disputed the findings of the report, stating that it has been unfairly targeted. The company maintains that its AI-driven moderation systems effectively detect and remove approximately 98 percent of content that breaches its guidelines in France.

Beyond the headline-grabbing bans and curfews, the report outlines a total of 43 recommendations aimed at safeguarding young social media users. These include enhancing parental control features, imposing new obligations on platforms to be transparent about their algorithms, and exploring legal liabilities for platforms that fail to protect minors effectively.

As France moves forward with these proposed regulations, the global community watches closely, considering the implications for social media governance worldwide and the balance between protecting young people and preserving digital freedoms.