no social media for children under 15

• Frank Renout

  France correspondent

A committee of French scientists has come up with far-reaching advice on the use of social media by children. In essence, children should spend much less time in front of screens and only start using social media at a later age.

The experts’ report has been handed over to President Macron. He himself had asked for the advice, to “give parents tools” for their children’s online behavior. The president is concerned about that.

Two-thirds of all French children aged 8 to 10 are already on social media such as Tiktok and Instagram. Children aged 5.5 years spend an average of more than one and a half hours a day behind a screen.

The scientists suggest never putting children under the age of 3 in front of a screen, whether it is a television, a telephone or a tablet. Up to the age of 6, screen use must remain minimal and always be done under parental supervision.

Children should not have a mobile phone until the age of 11. A smartphone should be taboo up to the age of 13. And social media should be banned up to the age of 15.

Playgroups and daycare centers must also ensure that no or a minimum number of screens are accessible to the very youngest. In schools, children must be taught about digital services and their dangers.

Finally, the producers of social media such as Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook and Snapchat are addressed. “We are stunned by what we have seen,” the scientists write about the ways in which social media develops algorithms and techniques to keep children on a device for as long as possible.

“They have strategies to keep children glued to screens, to control them and to use them,” Amine Benyamina, a psychiatrist and vice-president of the commission, said in an interview. “For companies, the protection of children is not a priority. They just want to make money,” said neurologist and committee member Servane Mouton.

It is still unknown what Macron will do with the recommendations. He reportedly wants to adopt some advice and also come up with prohibitions and commandments. But there are practical and legal obstacles.

A lot of screen and social media use happens at home. “We cannot put a police officer at every house,” Benyamina said. Much will depend on the parents.

France is also unable or hardly able to impose rules on social media on its own. This must be done in consultation with the European Union. Control mechanisms, such as age verification on websites, are at odds with privacy laws.

However, children’s online behavior must change because there are health risks, the committee states. Social media use is a risk factor for sensitive children and can lead to anxiety and depression, the experts write.

Excessive use can lead to psychological problems. They also say that the extent to which children are exposed to violence and pornography online is ‘alarming’.

The scientists also give general advice: let children play outside more often or give them a book.