France President, Emmanuel Macron will support a proposed ban on the use of smartphones for under 11s and social media for under 15s across France.
The French President is backing the proposals made in a report earlier this year by a panel of experts commissioned by the Elysee Palace amid growing concern over the negative effects of tech and social media use on children and teenagers.
Macron entered the issue into his presidential agenda at the beginning of the year amid sagging approval ratings.
But there is no word on how such a blanket ban would be implemented, with lawmakers now set to decide which apps will qualify for the ban and to hash out the finer details of bringing the recommended measures to bear.
The expert panel, which was led by neurologist Servane Mouton and psychiatry professor Amine Benyamina, and also included education, law and tech experts, delivered its findings to Macron in April.
It recommended that all children under the age of 11 must not be permitted to use a smartphone, and must not be given a smartphone with access to the internet before age 13.
Social media apps should be forbidden for anyone under 15, they added, and minors over 15 should only have access to platforms deemed ‘ethical’ – though the report did not specify which platforms would be excluded from such restrictions.
There is currently no timeline for new legislation and it is unclear to what extent it would follow the experts’ recommendations.
The group said any future moves should focus on tightening rules for tech companies.
‘Those are the ones who are primarily responsible,’ Mouton told a news briefing back in April.
