The Secretary General of Amnesty International (AI), Agnès Callamard, positively assessed this Wednesday the new French regulation that restricts access to social networks for minors under 15 years old. However, she has demanded that the political debate shift towards controlling the functioning of algorithms and the addictive dynamics of these platforms, instead of merely imposing general bans.
"There is no doubt that regulating platforms to protect children is an imperative of our time. We commend states for taking seriously the harms caused by social networks, but instead of applying generic prohibitions, efforts must be made to force platforms to abandon their reckless pursuit of profits at the expense of Human Rights," she expressed.
In this line, she emphasized that if we want networks to be spaces where minors can relate, inform themselves, and learn "in a healthy way," governments must prioritize the elimination of systems like "interaction-based algorithms," which push teenagers to "places where there is depressive and suicidal content."
"Any proposed solution must also proactively address the growing risks that AI chatbots pose to the rights and safety of children," Callamard indicated, warning that prohibitions that do not directly confront algorithms or the "addictive features" of social networks will facilitate minors evading the bans and adults remaining equally exposed to those dangers.
"We urge French lawmakers and others considering banning social networks to take as an example the recent recommendations from the EU special panel on online child safety, which advises regulators to take constructive measures to address the harmful design of social networks instead of not applying general prohibitions," she concluded.
Amnesty's position comes after the final approval, the day before, by the French Parliament of the law that bans the use of social networks for minors under 15 years old. The regulation is expected to start being applied from September and will be gradually deployed until January 1, 2027.