Clara Chappaz defends age verification on social media before the TikTok inquiry commission

"The impact of social media on minors is a vital issue for our youth," the Minister Delegate for Digital Affairs reaffirmed this Thursday morning. Clara Chappaz was questioned as part of the commission of inquiry into the psychological effects of TikTok on minors, chaired by Socialist Party MP Arthur Delaporte. Speaking to parliamentarians, the minister assured that this was "a subject that was particularly close to [her] heart," with young people "spending more than four hours a day" on social media.

And Clara Chappaz also cites other worrying figures, such as "one in five children wake up at night to go on social networks" or "one in four children report stress" linked to these platforms. This observation is all the more alarming given that early exposure to screens, particularly among 8-15 year olds, leads to a "clear deterioration in mental health, sleep and eating disorders, but also confinement in algorithmic bubbles" . The Minister for Digital Affairs goes even further and estimates that these "consequences on the cognitive and emotional development of adolescents could cost one to two points of French GDP in the future" .

In an attempt to curb this phenomenon, the government has engaged in a "battle over age verification, conducted firmly." "There is no ban on networks without age verification," says Clara Chappaz, who notes that "nearly three out of four children under 13 are already on the platforms," ​​even though they are supposed to be banned below this age. The minister does not hide her determination and directly accuses the social network Instagram: "It is demanding age verification through an advertising campaign, but I tell them clearly, they must assume their responsibilities" and stop asking app stores to carry out this verification.

Also read : Social networks: is it really possible to ban access to those under 15, as Emmanuel Macron wishes?

As for the idea that there are no effective solutions, Clara Chappaz refutes it, stating that "there are about fifteen of them, without compromising users' personal data." She cites Docaposte and the France Identity application in particular. At the European Union level, a harmonized solution is being developed, of which "France will be a pilot country." This progress is possible thanks to the Digital Services Act (DSA), adopted in October 2022 and which provides for fines of up to 6% of the platforms' global turnover. "We must take full advantage of the potential of this text and strengthen the scope of Article 28 on age verification," the minister emphasizes.

"The goal is not to ban but to protect, not to punish for the sake of punishing but to empower," she justifies. She compares her fight to the ban on alcohol for those under 18, which led to prevention campaigns and a ban on advertising. "We must do the same thing for social networks, that's the whole point of our strategy," explains the government member. For the time being, three investigations are targeting TikTok, one on its design, another on its interferences and a third on TikTok Lite. The latter resulted in the ban of this tool in the EU, which encouraged users to scroll through content to collect points.

Other investigations are also underway with the European Commission, including one into Elon Musk 's social network, X. Clara Chappaz acknowledges the slowness of these procedures and hopes "that they will be completed." The minister is now giving herself less than three months for a text on age verification to be adapted at the European level and has begun work "so that at the national level, we can impose the age we want." "Some countries may have other indications. I am calling for harmonization and then a national right to impose the age of 15 for the ban on social networks," Clara Chappaz states.