Is 15 years the limit for social media? France is tightening the law, the EU supports the direction of change

European Commission digital spokesman Thomas Regnier said on Tuesday that France has the right to introduce age restrictions on access to social media platforms at national level, provided they comply with European Union regulations.

The spokesman added that the EC is working on its own mechanism for verifying the age of users via social media platforms and that this tool is already being tested, among others. in France and will be mandatory for all Member States by the end of this year.

France says “stop” to 15-year-olds on social media

The French parliament on Monday supported legislation banning the use of social networks by children under 15. French President Emmanuel Macron applauded this decision and announced that he would ask the government to use accelerated procedures so that the ban would come into force from the new school year.

The EC spokesman admitted that is not surprised by the decision of the French authorities, especially since statistics show that in France more than half of children aged 12-13 visit pornographic websites.

Green light from Brussels, but there are conditions

He added that the protection of minors is an absolute priority of the European Commission, which is expressed in the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates the functioning of online platforms in the EU and imposes additional requirements on very large websites, including: removing illegal content.

Regnier also said that if, for national reasons, there is a need to take quick action, French and other authorities have the right to impose age restrictions on access to social media platforms at national level. Provided, however, that these rules comply with EU law as the platforms are cross-border in nature. The Ombudsman reminded that DSA, as EU regulations, take precedence over national ones.

If national regulations emerge at national level, platforms will have to ensure compliance with them. However, the implementation and imposition of additional obligations on large online platforms is the competence of the Commission, he explained.

EU “age verification” mandatory until the end of the year

The spokesman added that the Commission is currently at the stage of appointing a group of experts to advise on regulations limiting access of minors to social media platforms. He also noted that the EC, in June last year, presented a tool being developed to verify the age of users of online platforms and that it is now being tested by some Member States, including France.

– By the end of the year, the age verification tool developed by the Commission will be operational mandatory in all Member States. This means that Member States will be obliged to make this age verification tool available to their citizens, he said, adding that platforms will also be obliged to use EC tools, unless they have their own age verification mechanisms.

From Brussels Jowita Kiwnik Pargana (PAP)

jowi/mal/