Une commission d’enquête parlementaire appelle à l’interdiction TikTok pour les moins de 15 ans

The French parliamentary inquiry exposes TikTok’s role in fostering addiction and exposing minors to harmful content, with devastating effects on their mental health, calling for TikTok age restrictions and widespread education campaigns as a matter of urgency.

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A French parliamentary committee has called for the implementation of TikTok age restrictions — including a total ban for children under 15 — as it accused the massively popular social media platform of deliberately fostering addictive behaviour and exposing minors to violent and harmful content.

The parliamentary inquiry into TikTok and its psychological impact on children was established after seven families sued the company, accusing it of exposing their children to harmful content like self-harm, eating disorders, and suicide.

Of those families, two adolescents died by suicide and others self-harmed after viewing unmoderated TikTok content, the lawsuit claims.

The scathing report follows six months of committee hearings that heard from more than 160 witnesses, and during which lawmakers heard harrowing first-hand testimony from parents and families about the content viewed by their children and its impact.

Several high-profile influencers also gave evidence, telling lawmakers that TikTok’s algorithm rewards shocking, provocative and violent content with visibility, while civic or educational content struggles to break through.

The French committee concluded that TikTok had deliberately designed an “ecosystem of addiction” that maximises minors’ screen time by amplifying shocking and harmful content, with devastating effects on their mental health.

It further charged the platform with negligence in enforcing TikTok age restrictions on children opening accounts, a lack of transparency, and failing to protect children from exposure to dangerous material, despite being fully aware of the risks.

After handing down the report, committee co-chair, MP Arthur Delaporte also asked the state prosecutor to open a criminal investigation into TikTok for deliberately endangering the health and lives of its users.

TikTok said it categorically rejected the committee’s findings, which it said were misleading and attempted to make the platform a “scapegoat” for broader societal failings.

TikTok’s recommendation system: trapping minors inside a loop of dangerous content

Central to the French parliamentary report is a sweeping condemnation of TikTok’s recommendation system, a system which has been copied and implemented by rival platforms like Instagram and YouTube.

The report slammed TikTok’s recommendation system as amplifying sensational, shocking, or harmful content, creating an environment that feeds on vulnerability and maximises screen time. It described TikTok as an “ecosystem of addiction” designed to capture attention at all costs.

Parents repeatedly testified to their helplessness in the face of the algorithm’s relentless pushing of harmful content.

“TikTok’s algorithm showed her more and more content related to body image issues, and anorexia. These algorithms only made things worse. I couldn’t even stop it from happening; I didn’t know how,” one parent of a 13-year-old who had developed anorexia told the committee.

The committee found that TikTok’s content moderation is reactive, opaque, and inconsistent, often allowing harmful or illegal content including self-harm, sexualised material, violent videos, and disinformation to remain online too long.

It said TikTok age restrictions are not enforced, with children well under the age of 13 easily able to create TikTok accounts.

Social media platforms claim to use AI combined with human content moderators to police dangerous content and misinformation, but the inquiry concluded these resources are woefully inadequate given the sheer scale of content.

‍Sensational influencer testimony lifts the lid on the workings of TikTok

In a series of hearings that shocked the public and grabbed news headlines, several major French influencers testified to the extent of TikTok’s pressures and shortcomings. Creators admitted that only shocking or provocative content reliably drives visibility, while ethical or educational content struggles to be seen.

“What you consider misogynistic or violent, we call drama. On the internet, on TikTok, it's drama. And I recognise this because I've seen it: drama gets far more views than a video that explains something,” TikToker Nasser Sari (@nas_das, 3.8M followers, TikTok) told the inquiry.

“My advice to anyone who wants to get started on social media? Don't get started on social media.”

Influencers admitted being unaware of the legal obligations around showing their children in content (which must be covered by contractual agreement for any paid collaboration in France), while others described an opaque and inconsistent monetisation system that pushed them to churn out content relentlessly.

Testimony also drew attention to TikTok’s livestreaming features, in which minors can participate in gifting systems that mimic gambling environments.

Influencers described livestreams as resembling casinos: audiences send gifts converted into “diamonds,” of which TikTok takes 50%. Despite TikTok’s assurances, minors were seen running Lives or participating in them, with children exposed to gamified spending and attention traps.

The atmosphere of competition, music, and shoutouts is designed to fuel addictive behaviour, the committee concluded, describing TikTok as “a digital casino where minors can gamble their attention and their money”.

Call to action: 43 recommendations to keep children safe

In all, the parliamentary committee delivered a staggering 43 recommendations, the boldest of which included banning access to social media for children under 15, introducing a 10pm - 6am digital curfew for 15 -18-year-olds, and banning the ‘For You’ feed outright for minors.

The committee called for a new “digital negligence” offence for platforms that fail to safeguard minors. It said TikTok Live ‘gifts’ should be classified as gambling, and new “digital negligence” offences created for platforms that fail to safeguard minors. Par

It also called for a “digital negligence” offence for parents specifically applicable to situations where minors are exposed to harmful content, like self-harm, violence, or other dangerous material, as a result of inadequate supervision or failure to use available parental controls.

Such a law would face significant procedural delays to its implementation, however, and the committee also stressed the importance of education for both parents and children regarding safe online practices.

The report calls for major awareness campaigns in school and the media about the dangers of social media, and for TikTok to offer user-friendly parental control tools and transparent reporting systems to allow parents to better monitor and manage their children's social media usage.

More robust and independent monitoring of platforms’ content moderation systems is needed, the report said, with the imposition of hefty fines for those who fail to comply.

“As a parent, entrepreneur and player in the digital ecosystem, I am deeply concerned by the conclusions of the parliamentary commission of inquiry in France on the psychological effects of TikTok our youth,” Kolsquare Founder and CEO Quentin Bordage said, supporting the committee’s key recommendation to ban social media for under 15s.

‍As evidence of harm to children strengthens, global movement to ban social media for adolescents gathers pace

The damning findings of the French parliamentary inquiry come as international evidence mounts of the harmful effects of social media on mental health, and international momentum to ban minors from social media gathers pace.

A report by Ipsos found 71% support across 30 countries for banning social media inside and outside of school for under 14s, while in the US, 81% of parents support social media platforms requiring consent for minors to create social media accounts.

In a world first, Australia last year passed a law to ban social media access for under-16s, which is due to come into force in December. In Europe, several countries including Denmark and Greece have joined forces with France to push for an EU-wide minimum age or ‘digital majority’, which would see social media accessed banned for under 15s.

The EU is also developing including an age-verification application — currently being tested in France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Greece — for social media, and has published stringent rules under the Digital Services Act requiring major social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, and Google operating in the bloc to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content.

In the UK, online platforms are now required to use secure age verification methods for users accessing the most harmful material (pornography, self‐harm, suicide, hate speech, violence). Verification methods might include facial scans, photo ID, credit card checks

Any eventual restrictions on social media use by minors will have ripple effects across the influencer economy. Tighter rules on age verification, content moderation, and youth protections are coming, and could limit audience reach and reshape the ways brands collaborate with creators.

But for marketers, the message is clear: working with influencers who demonstrate transparency, ethical practices, and a commitment to responsible content has never been more important.

As scrutiny intensifies, brands that fail to properly vet their partners risk reputational damage as well as regulatory backlash.

To say nothing of the potential harm to our children.

About Kolsquare

Kolsquare is Europe’s leading Influencer Marketing platform, offering a data-driven solution that empowers brands to scale their KOL (Key Opinion Leader) marketing strategies through authentic partnerships with top creators.

Kolsquare’s advanced technology helps marketing professionals seamlessly identify the best content creators by filtering their content and audience, while also enabling them to build, manage, and optimize campaigns from start to finish. This includes measuring results and benchmarking performance against competitors.

With a thriving global community of influencer marketing experts, Kolsquare serves hundreds of customers—including Coca-Cola, Netflix, Sony Music, Publicis, Sézane, Sephora, Lush, and Hermès—by leveraging the latest Big Data, AI, and Machine Learning technologies. Our platform taps into an extensive network of KOLs with more than 5,000 followers across 180 countries on Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat.

As a Certified B Corporation, Kolsquare leads the way in promoting Responsible Influence, championing transparency, ethical practices, and meaningful collaborations that inspire positive change.

Since October 2024, Kolsquare has become part of the Team.Blue group, one of the largest private tech companies in Europe, and a leading digital enabler for businesses and entrepreneurs across Europe. Team.Blue brings together over 60 successful brands in web hosting, domains, e-commerce, online compliance, lead generation, application solutions, and social media.