France Targets Australia-Style Social Media Ban For Children Next Year (theguardian.com) 21
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Guardian: France intends to follow Australia and ban social media platforms for children from the start of the 2026 academic year. A draft bill preventing under-15s from using social media will be submitted for legal checks and is expected to be debated in parliament early in the new year. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has made it clear in recent weeks that he wants France to swiftly follow Australia's world-first ban on social media platforms for under-16s, which came into force in December. It includes Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.
Le Monde and France Info reported on Wednesday that a draft bill was now complete and contained two measures: a ban on social media for under-15s and a ban on mobile phones in high schools, where 15- to 18-year-olds study. Phones have already been banned in primary and middle schools. The bill will be submitted to France's Conseil d'Etat for legal review in the coming days. Education unions will also look at the proposed high-school ban on phones. The government wants the social media ban to come into force from September 2026.
Le Monde reported the text of the draft bill cited "the risks of excessive screen use by teenagers," including the dangers of being exposed to inappropriate social media content, online bullying, and altered sleep patterns. The bill states the need to "protect future generations" from dangers that threaten their ability to thrive and live together in a society with shared values. Earlier this month, Macron confirmed at a public debate in Saint Malo that he wanted a social media ban for young teenagers. He said there was "consensus being shaped" on the issue after Australia introduced its ban.
"The more screen time there is, the more school achievement drops the more screen time there is, the more mental health problems go up," he said. He used the analogy of a teenager getting into a Formula One racing car before they had learned to drive. "If a child is in a Formula One car and they turn on the engine, I don't want them to win the race, I just want them to get out of the car. I want them to learn the highway code first, and to ensure the car works, and to teach them to drive in a different car."
Le Monde and France Info reported on Wednesday that a draft bill was now complete and contained two measures: a ban on social media for under-15s and a ban on mobile phones in high schools, where 15- to 18-year-olds study. Phones have already been banned in primary and middle schools. The bill will be submitted to France's Conseil d'Etat for legal review in the coming days. Education unions will also look at the proposed high-school ban on phones. The government wants the social media ban to come into force from September 2026.
Le Monde reported the text of the draft bill cited "the risks of excessive screen use by teenagers," including the dangers of being exposed to inappropriate social media content, online bullying, and altered sleep patterns. The bill states the need to "protect future generations" from dangers that threaten their ability to thrive and live together in a society with shared values. Earlier this month, Macron confirmed at a public debate in Saint Malo that he wanted a social media ban for young teenagers. He said there was "consensus being shaped" on the issue after Australia introduced its ban.
"The more screen time there is, the more school achievement drops the more screen time there is, the more mental health problems go up," he said. He used the analogy of a teenager getting into a Formula One racing car before they had learned to drive. "If a child is in a Formula One car and they turn on the engine, I don't want them to win the race, I just want them to get out of the car. I want them to learn the highway code first, and to ensure the car works, and to teach them to drive in a different car."
Same 5h17t they said about TV in the 70s (Score:2)
when I was a kid in the 70s they said the same shit about TV. That it would rot our brains and such.
Very early in the morning, while getting ready for school, I'd watch "the greatest news of the century". After luch (1-3pm) they gave us "telenovelas" (kind of soap operas) but I could not care less, so I went to play outside. at 3pm I'd go to the Tv to watch documentaries (mostly jacques cousteau), then at 4pm was the hanna barbera hour, then "Festival de robots" (force five) or MAzinger Z. by night was agai
Re:Same 5h17t they said about TV in the 70s (Score:5, Insightful)
survivorship bias
You did well. This is about giving everyone a better chance to do well.
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I don't have any mod points atm, but if I did, I'd +1 this.
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Re:Same 5h17t they said about TV in the 70s (Score:5, Informative)
when I was a kid in the 70s they said the same shit about TV.
No, your mum told you that TV will rot your brain. There was precisely zero scientific basis for this. On the other hand there's plenty of evidence of direct harm social media addiction causes, plenty of direct evidence that early exposure leads to addiction, and plenty of scientifically studied and peer reviewed evidence that social media exposure directly links to an increase in several mental health conditions.
Also TV ended up being regulated to remove some of the key addictive issues which affected children especially, including direct marketing, and content hours. People across the world took action on what limited scientifically verified impact there was.
That's why you turned out okay. Now use some of that engineering you studied to follow some evidenced based though processes and you'll see that TV and social media are nothing alike.
Re:Same 5h17t they said about TV in the 70s (Score:4)
Well done! You've missed the point *completely*.
Population bans are not intended to save a minority of smart kids from brain rotting dangers. They are intended to save the majority of average kids whose brain rots too easily from simply preventable factors. Kids who don't have people to teach them best practices. Kids who will grow up to be the lifeblood and workforce of the nation.
You're not important. Your contribution to the country you grew up in is a drop in the ocean compared to these kids in total (even less if you don't live there anymore). There are so many, many, many, many more of these kids than there are kids similar to you. Even if their social environment can be improved by 1% only, almost imperceptible, this will be a superior outcome, for the country, in raw numbers, than letting them individually overcome the predatory social media giants all on their own.
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Engagement-driven social media is not the same as TV. It is far more addictive and far more dangerous both to individuals' mental health and to society at large.
If I were Dictator of Earth, I'd ban Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok completely. But I'm not, so I'll take what I can get and if it starts with age restrictions, that's fine.
It's not about the children (Score:5, Insightful)
Don't get me wrong: we need to fix the problem of dopamine addiction in our young (it has never in history had such an easy source), but the solution to that is good parenting. This? This is just opportunistic authoritarianism.
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You sound an awful lot like the articles the tech billionaires are shopping around in the media now. The thought that someone might be able to break the spell they have over the kids scares them deathly. Getting the kids hooked early is what guarantees the tech billionaires their continued power.
They love it when you focus on the government as the be-all end-all source of evil in the world. Then you don't look at who's really pulling the strings: them.
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Governments shall not steal Parental Rights. (Score:2)
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So if Bubba wants to give his 6-year-old kid moonshine, it's all good?
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So if Bubba wants to give his 6-year-old kid moonshine, it's all good?
Probably not a good idea, but here yes you can give your 6 year old some alcohol if you want (legally).
Though I do agree with you that parents don't and shouldn't have the rights to do whatever the hell they want.
Everybody (Score:2)
Usual scapegoat strategy.
The purpose is elsewhere : to control and eliminate counter-power.
Formula one on a highway? (Score:2)
Summary reports Mr Macron said:
"If a child is in a Formula One car and they turn on the engine, I don't want them to win the race, I just want them to get out of the car. I want them to learn the highway code first"
I am a bit surprised that he assumes a formula one could be used on a highway.
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Summary reports Mr Macron said:
"If a child is in a Formula One car and they turn on the engine, I don't want them to win the race, I just want them to get out of the car. I want them to learn the highway code first"
I am a bit surprised that he assumes a formula one could be used on a highway.
In Monaco, located within a pocket of the French Riviera, people drive Formula One cars around town.