But not all are convinced. Some students argue that a blanket ban may not be effective as children could find ways to circumvent it, suggesting that guidance would be a more practical approach.
“A better solution would be more education for children about prevention. We can’t totally ban all social media because they would find a way to get around it,” said a student.
ENFORCEMENT CHALLENGE
The bill would also ban mobile phones in all schools. However, questions remain over how such a ban would be enforced.
Currently, mobile phone restrictions are already in place in some institutions, where pupils are required to hand in phones at the start of every lesson.
In 2018, France banned children from using mobile phones in colleges, which are attended by youths between the ages of 11 and 15.
But students have found ways to bypass the rules. Some hand in inactive or secondary devices while continuing to use their primary phones discreetly.
Experts and students alike suggest similar workarounds could emerge for social media bans, including the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) to evade age restrictions.
CONCERNS OVER RIGHTS, FREEDOM
The proposal has also raised concerns among rights groups.
Advocates warn that restricting access to social media could infringe on young people’s freedom of expression and limit their participation in digital public spaces.
Alice Apostoly, advocacy officer at campaign group Feminists Against Cyberbullying, said the move could have unintended consequences.
“It does restrain the liberty of communication and erodes the rights of minors under 15 to be in an online public space, which is also an important place of socialisation for young people,” she said.
