France’s health watchdog warns social media harms teen mental health, especially girls, as the country debates a ban for under-15s, echoing global concerns.
PARIS: Social media harms the mental health of adolescents, particularly girls, France’s health watchdog said.
The French public health agency ANSES published its opinion after a five-year expert review, citing “numerous” well-documented negative effects.
The findings come as France debates two bills, one backed by President Emmanuel Macron, to ban social media for children under 15.
The agency recommended “acting at the source” to ensure platforms are “designed and configured to protect their health”.
This would require changes to personalised algorithms, persuasive techniques and default settings.
“This study provides scientific arguments for the debate about social networks in recent years: it is based on 1,000 studies,” said the expert panel’s head Olivia Roth-Delgado.
ANSES said social media can create an “unprecedented echo chamber” that reinforces stereotypes and promotes risky behaviour.
It added that digitally altered images promote unrealistic beauty standards, harming girls’ self-esteem and creating fertile ground for depression.
Girls, who use social media more than boys, face greater “social pressure linked to gender stereotypes”.
LGBT people and those with pre-existing mental health conditions are also more affected by the dangers.
The announcement follows Australia’s move last month to ban platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube for under-16s.
On Monday, Meta urged Australia to rethink its ban, reporting it had blocked over 544,000 accounts under the new law.
Meta said parents and experts worry the ban could isolate young people and drive them to less regulated apps.
Elon Musk’s X platform faces a global backlash for allowing its AI chatbot Grok to create sexualised images of women and children.
