00:00Like many of his peers, middle schooler Leon De Fette joins social media at 13 years old,
00:07using apps like Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram to speak with his friends and post photos.
00:16He says he enjoys social media because it frees and stimulates his mind.
00:21But that's the complete opposite of what his mother, Caroline De Fette, wants for him.
00:29A social media ban would give children the chance to get bored.
00:32And boredom is incredibly important for the imagination, for thinking, for simply taking time.
00:40These days, every spare moment is spent scrolling.
00:43On Tuesday, the French Senate will vote on a landmark bill seeking to ban social media in France for kids
00:49under 15 years old.
00:51The bill already cleared a hurdle at the National Assembly in January.
00:55If it passes in the Senate, it will be subject to a vote in the lower house before becoming law.
01:02One of the bill's authors, Lore Miller, said several studies showed young people are accessing smartphones at increasingly younger ages
01:10and spending up to six hours on social media daily.
01:14It's clear that this has a significant impact on their development, both personally and cognitively,
01:20as well as on their understanding of the world and their perspective on it.
01:26Leon's mother, Caroline, said a ban could have helped limit her two teenagers' usage of social media
01:32if it had been in place when they were younger.
01:35She said she's noticed waning concentration in her teens
01:39and even less conversation amongst them and their friends,
01:42as they are often on their phones.
01:48We're always on the fence, wondering, do I cut them off from everything or not?
01:55My only regret is that I gave them phones too quickly.
01:59The bill proposes banning children under 15 from social networks
02:03and social networking functionalities embedded within broader platforms.
02:07It reflects rising public anxiety over the impact of social media on minors
02:12and growing concerns about online bullying and mental health risks.
02:17President Emmanuel Macron has pointed to social media as one factor to blame for violence among young people.
02:24He's urging France to follow Australia,
02:26whose world-first ban for children under 16 on social media platforms,
02:31including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube,
02:35came into force in December.
02:36Other countries, including Britain, Denmark, Spain and Greece,
02:41are studying Australia's move.
02:43Macron wants the ban in place in time for the start of the next academic year in September.
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