In France, you have to wait 15 years before you can register on social media on your own, without parental consent. However, 67% primary school children aged 8–10 are already users*.
To better protect minors, especially younger ones, from content that is unsuitable or dangerous for them, Meta has just announced the implementation of new restrictions on Facebook and Instagram.
From now on, all accounts belonging to teenagers (identified as being between 13 years old – the minimum age required to register – and 15 years old) will be placed in the default in the strictest configuration of the two social networks, which «makes it more difficult to come into contact with potentially sensitive content,» according to a message posted on Meta's website. This configuration also limits other users' access to the »friends» list, accounts they follow, and the ability to comment on posted messages. In addition, searching for keywords such as Self-harm, suicide, and bulimia should disappear from young people's news feeds. users. Finally, children under the age of 16 should no longer have access to sexually explicit content.
This announcement comes at a time when Meta is being accused in the United States of contributing to the deterioration of children's and teenagers' mental health: in October 2023, 41 US states asked the platform to stop treating child and teenage users as adults.
*e-Enfance/3018-Caisse d’Epargne study on cyberbullying among 8-18 year olds, 2023
