French MPs just voted 116-23 in favor of a social media ban aimed at minors – in what is being heralded as a “major step” towards protecting kids and teenagers online.
As you can imagine, not everyone is happy with the proposed rules.
The bill hasn’t been passed into law yet – France’s Senate must also approve it, and some wonder if it will be blocked under European law after a similar bill was stopped in 2023 – but it follows in the footsteps of similar rules we’ve been seeing in Australia, the United Kingdom, and some US states.
Speaking in a video broadcast about the bill, French President Emmanuel Macron said, “The emotions of our children and teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, either by American platforms or Chinese algorithms” – clear references to the likes of Instagram, X, and TikTok.
(Image credit: Shutterstock) Once introduced, these and other social media services will need to verify the age of French users or bar them from accessing content. Given that some kind of age verification system may be coming at the European level, France will probably be just the first EU nation to impose such a ban – case in point, Ireland, Spain, and Denmark are also considering such rules.
While many parents, lawmakers, and even some children have reacted positively, others have had fewer kind words to share.
Scrolling through (ironically) social media, you’ll find plenty of comments calling this “legislative overreach.” While others are concerned about needing to share their IDs online – especially following various data leaks involving IDs from countries that have imposed similar rules (such as a Discord breach which saw hackers steal thousands of government-ID photos)
The better of two evils You don’t have to look far to find reports showing the harmful effects of social media on mental health – some of which come from the companies themselves . Nor to find examples of the ways platforms could be used and abused by users and their own creators – such as the recent example of Grok being used to create explicit images of women and children, or whistleblower claims that Meta platforms can target users with ads based on their emotional state (something Meta has denied doing, but did admit to researching across a series of statements back in 2017).
(Image credit: Shutterstock/JR des) At the same time, I know how valuable social media can be. YouTube and TikTok can be incredible educational platforms, social media can provide access to invaluable news sources, create spaces for people to organize action around an important cause they care about, or simply give people the chance to find a crowd they can fit in with that they might not be able to find locally.
But does this good outweigh the evils?
Honestly, I’m not sure. If asked to choose one extreme or the other, I’m in favor of a ban – in part because widespread bans could be what forces platforms to finally clean up their act.
I’d still prefer a more nuanced approach.
Something which involves identity verification that’s secure and private to check age and that someone is a human, which addresses the issues plaguing social media that go beyond those simply affecting minors to those affecting users of all ages too, and that gives parents the ability to make decisions for their child (choosing to allow access to certain platforms when they believe their kid is ready).
Though that might be too much to ask of politicians who aren’t as internet savvy as they should be. Maybe as we see more bans over the coming year, they’ll prove me wrong and find an approach that works for everyone.
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