Report from the New York Times
In Brief – France has become the first European country to fully approve a nationwide ban on social media for children under 15, with the law expected to take effect as early as Sept. 1. Passed by large majorities in both houses of the national legislature, the bill also extends France’s existing ban on cellphones in schools to high schools. Championed by President Emmanuel Macron, the measure reflects growing concerns over cyberbullying, harmful content, online predators and mental health, and is likely to help spur action by the EU. Social media platforms will be responsible for age verification, while educational digital services are exempt. The law does not impose penalties on children, parents or providers, and enforcement will likely fall to the European Commission under EU digital rules because the most popular social media platforms are based outside France. Bill critics argue the measure threatens data privacy and online anonymity.
Context – Social media critics have argued for years that social media platforms are dangerous, harmful and addictive, especially for teens. Although research data doesn’t back that up, age-based restrictions, led by Australia’s 16-year-old age limit, are taking off in countries around the world. Reports indicate that many Aussie teens are circumventing the law but one impact appears to be that teens abiding by the law have less access to news. The European Commission is actively considering an EU-wide policy, and a child safety expert panel recently recommended a tiered regime, including no digital use under age two, parental supervision under age 13, and regulating services for those under 18. If government-imposed age thresholds end up truly limiting sedentary time spent on electronic devices by young people, it seems reasonable that it could be a positive health outcome. And a decade hence, if some countries do effectively keep most teams from using major digital platforms, it will be interesting to see if there are measurable health and digital aptitude differences between national cohorts.