French MP accuses TikTok of ‘deliberately’ endangering young users, calls for ‘digital curfew’

A French lawmaker has accused TikTok of creating an "algorithmic trap" that hurts young people and proposed a “digital curfew” to lower teenagers’ screen time.

Arthur Delaporte, a member of the Socialist Party who chaired a French parliamentary investigation into TikTok, said Thursday that the the popular short form video app has "deliberately endangered the health and lives of its users” by exposing children to dangerous content.

His comments come as the committee releases the results of its investigation, which launched in March to probe TikTok's effect on young people's mental well-being. In late 2024, a group of families took TikTok to court, accusing it of showing their children content that could lead to suicide.

The parliamentary committee’s newly released report criticises TikTok for allowing harmful content to proliferate and for using algorithms that could push young people into unhealthy spirals.

Delaporte alleged that "the platform is aware of the abuses” and that he views them as “criminal offences”.

Meanwhile, the committee's rapporteur, Member of Parliament Laure Miller (Renaissance), said attention problems, disruption of sleep cycles, and lowered self-esteem were the consequences of teenagers using TikTok.

TikTok has rejected the findings, telling journalists they are "misleading" and "scapegoat" the platform for broader problems in society and on social media.

The Chinese group ByteDance, which owns TikTok, also claims to have introduced a moderation system backed up by artificial intelligence (AI) that aims to promote healthy and safe use of the app.

French lawmakers consider these efforts insufficient. They noted that between September 2023 and December 2024, the number of French-speaking moderators on TikTok fell by 26 per cent.

The lawmakers proposed a "digital curfew" for 15- to 18-year-olds between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, is in favour of a social media ban for children under the age of 15.