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Paris, France: Social media harms the mental health of adolescents, particularly girls, France's health watchdog said Tuesday as the country debates banning children under 15 from accessing the immensely popular platforms.
The results of an expert scientific review on the subject were announced after Australia became the first country to prohibit big platforms including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube for under 16s last month, while other nations consider following its lead.
Using social media is not the sole cause of the declining mental health of teenagers, but its negative effects are "numerous" and well documented, the
French public health watchdog ANSES wrote in its opinion, the result of five years of work by a committee of experts.
France is currently debating two bills, one backed by President Emmanuel Macron, that would ban social media for under 15s.
The ANSES opinion recommended "acting at the source" to ensure that children can only access social networks "designed and configured to protect their health".
This means that the platforms would have to change their personalised algorithms, persuasive techniques and default settings, according to the agency.
"This study provides scientific arguments for the debate about social networks in recent years: it is based on 1,000 studies," the expert panel's head Olivia Roth-Delgado told a press conference.
Social media can create an "unprecedented echo chamber" that reinforces stereotypes, promotes risky behaviour and promotes cyberbullying, the ANSES opinion said.
The content also portrays an unrealistic idea of beauty via digitally altered images that can lead to low self-esteem in girls, which creates fertile ground for depression or eating disorders, it added.
Girls -- who use social media more than boys -- are subjected to more of the "social pressure linked to gender stereotypes," the opinion said.
