Parliamentary commission of inquiry into TikTok recommended in September to ban social networks for children under 15 and establish a ‘digital curfew’
French justice opened a preliminary investigation after a parliamentary committee denounced the “ease of access” for minors to TikTok, whose algorithm is “likely to lead” those most “vulnerable to suicide”, the prosecutor announced this Tuesday (4). The parliamentary commission of inquiry into TikTok recommended in September to ban social networks for children under 15 and establish a nighttime “digital curfew” for young people between 15 and 18, with the aim of trying to contain a dangerous “algorithmic trap” for younger people. The French president’s office, , had already declared that it wanted to ban its use by children and teenagers, after announcing last year that it would adopt laws to prevent access to social networks by children under 16.
The new investigation will cover several infractions, including “advertising in favor of products, objects or methods recommended as means to commit suicide”, a crime whose penalty is three years in prison and a fine of 45 thousand euros (275 thousand reais), according to a statement from the prosecutor, Laure Beccuau. The investigations will focus on “compliance with a platform’s notification obligation regarding suspected crimes committed through it”, on “the functioning of the algorithm in relation to the presentation made to the user” and on “editing content that consists, in particular, of promoting suicide”, explained Beccuau.
When delving deeper into this application so popular among young people, the parliamentary commission of inquiry found “an ocean of harmful content”, with videos that “promote suicide and self-mutilation” and “exposure to violence in all its forms”. All of this is enhanced by powerful recommendation mechanisms that trap young people in harmful bubbles, according to the commission.
A spokesperson for TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, “categorically” rejected in September the commission’s “misleading presentation”, considering that the deputies seek to transform the company “into a scapegoat in the face of challenges that affect the entire sector and society”.
*With information from AFP
Published by Fernando Dias
