France passes law banning under-15s from social media

But concerns have been raised over privacy, the efficacy of age-verification tools, the risks of young people bypassing them, and how quickly the ban has been designed and brought in, France-presse" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="169246" data-entity-type="organization">Agence France Presse reports.French Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff defended the speed of the law's implementation ahead of the vote "because age-verification tools already exist", the agency added.France is the second country to introduce a ban, following Australia.Despite Australia banning under-16s from social media in December, it is widely acknowledged that many continue to use the platforms.In March, Australia's eSafety Commission announced seven out of 10 children aged under 16 who had a social media account before the ban still had "some access".Given this, Professor of Internet Studies at Western Australia's Curtin University Tama Leaver told the BBC the ban has "failed" in its technical aims.But, he says, it has successfully shown a ban "can be done" though classifies it as "a bit of an experiment". One lesson other countries can learn from its example is that "young people need to be part of this conversation" so that a ban is "done with them" and not "to them".