France wants to accelerate their ban on children under the age of 15 – Liberation

TiktokSnapchat and Instagram will they soon be forbidden to young Europeans under 15? France wants « Mobilize its European partners » On a binding agreement for social networks to verify the age of adolescents using themfailing which the government will take sanctions, said the Minister Delegate in charge of Digital, Clara Chappaz, in La Tribune on Sunday. « Social networks, before 15 years, is no »she insisted in an interview with the weekly.

In June 2024, Emmanuel Macron had spoken out for the prohibition of the phone before 11 years old and social networks before 15 years oldafter having received, two months before, expert work on the impact of the exhibition of young people to screens.

« On a European scale, we have (…) a frame of reference action: the regulations on digital services (Digital Services Act, Editor’s note)»»continues Clara Chappaz. « But you have to go further to strengthen its scope, so that it forces social networks not to accept the creation of Accounts without age verification»»she adds.

The minister is « Give three months to mobilize our European partners around a simple line: age verification as imperative ». « My job is today to rally a coalition, with Spain, Greece and now Ireland, to convince the European Commission »she adds.

She warns: “If we cannot reach the start of the school year, France will take responsibility. In the absence of European agreement, it is in France that we will have to act. ” To the question of whether the government could go so far as to take sanctions, it answers: « Yes, as proof, look at what we have done on Pornographic sites. « 

« Since the beginning of March, Arcom (the French digital gendarme, editor’s note) started to block sites that do not comply with French legislation. They must verify that Internet users are over 18 years old ”said the minister again. “If (platforms) do not set up solid age verification solutions, they are sanctioned. Tomorrow, I want it to be the same for users of social networks under the age of 15. ”

For its part, Spain presented in June 2024 a law prohibiting access to under 16s to social networks.