Australia wants to set minimum age for using social networks between 14 and 16, what about France ?

Des essais vont être effectués par le gouvernement avant l'instauration, d'ici la fin de l'année (illustration). MAXPPP – CHRISTOF SCHUERPF

L'Australie va fixer entre 14 et 16 ans l'âge minimal pour utiliser les réseaux sociaux, a annoncé ce mardi 10 septembre 2024 le Premier ministre Anthony Albanese.

Australia plans to introduce a minimum age for social media use in a bid to protect children's mental and physical health, a move criticised by digital rights activists who warn of the potential for dangerous clandestine online activity.

The government will conduct trials before introducing a law setting a minimum age for accessing social media by the end of the year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said. He did not give a specific age but said it would likely be around 15.

“Social harm”

“I want to see kids get off their devices (…) and have real experiences, with real people, because we know that social media causes social harm,”, he said. No immediate comment was available from representatives of Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, which has set a minimum age of 13 to use its platforms, Alphabet, which owns YouTube, and TikTok.

Australia would become one of the first countries in the world to impose an age restriction on social networks with such a law. Similar attempts in the past, notably in the European Union, have failed following complaints that the digital rights of minors should be respected.

And France ?

In France, President Emmanuel Macron said in June that he was in favour of banning mobile phones “before the age of 11” and social media “before the age of 15”. Since the start of the school year, 199 voluntary colleges have been participating in an experiment to ban mobile phones in these establishments.