European countries are debating the necessity of restricting children's access to social media, with France moving forward with legislation to ban harmful platforms for children under 15.
In recent discussions across Europe, countries are increasingly focusing on how to limit children's access to social media. France's lower house of parliament has passed a bill aimed at prohibiting the use of 'harmful' social media platforms for children under the age of 15. However, certain 'less harmful' platforms would still be available to teenagers with parental permission. This legislation is expected to be finalized in the upper house of parliament and is pushed forward by President Emmanuel Macron, who hopes for the ban to be enacted by September.
Other nations, including Denmark and Spain, are also considering similar bans on social media usage for children and teenagers. Meanwhile, debates are ongoing in Luxembourg, where lawmakers are discussing the necessity of restricting social media access for youths. Luxembourg's Minister of Justice, Elizabete Marga, expressed a preference for a solution at the European Union level, highlighting that harmful content transcends national borders, thus necessitating a more unified approach to content regulation and access restriction.
However, not all stakeholders agree with the proposed bans. Gianni di Paoli, a board member of the National Youth Council of Luxembourg, argues that banning social media is not an effective solution. He insists that young people will inevitably encounter the real world, including its challenges, regardless of online restrictions, and suggests exploring alternative ways to teach and guide youth in navigating these platforms, rather than resorting to outright prohibitions.
