STRASBOURG: The Council of Europe, Europe's watchdog for democracy and human rights, Monday urged vigilance as some European nations and the European Union mull a social media ban for children like in Australia.
"As several European countries consider introducing a minimum age to access social media platforms, I urge caution in imposing sweeping bans," its human rights commissioner Michael O'Flaherty said.
Australia has since December required TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and other top social media services to remove accounts held by under-16s, or face heavy fines.
There were "legitimate concerns", O'Flaherty said, as worry mounts that excessive screen time could harm childhood development and mental health.
"Banning children's access to social media, though, shifts the responsibility for safety from the platforms that create the environment to the children who navigate it," he warned.
"States should require platforms to prevent and mitigate risks to children's rights by design and by default, and hold platforms accountable for failures."
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last week said he was open to a social media ban for minors.
French lawmakers last month passed a bill that would ban social media use by under-15s, a move championed by President Emmanuel Macron as a way to protect children from excessive screen time, but the Senate still needs to approve the proposal.
France, along with Denmark, Greece and Spain, has been pushing for similar action at EU level.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has advocated going further with a minimum age limit, but first wants to hear from experts on what approach the 27-nation bloc should take.
The Strasbourg-based Council of Europe rights organisation, which is not connected to the European Union, counts 46 member states.
Council of Europe members sign up to the European Convention on Human Rights, which is enforced by the European Court of Human Rights. – AFP
