The inquiry concluded the short video-sharing platform “knowingly exposes our children, our young people to toxic, dangerous and addictive content”.
Its 43 recommendations include bans on under-15s using social networks, restrictions between 10pm and 8am for older teenagers, and the creation of a new offence of digital negligence for parents who fail to protect their children.
Arthur Delaporte, who chaired the commission, said allegations TikTok had deliberately “endangered the lives” of users would be referred to the Paris public prosecutor.
Lead author of its study, Laure Miller, told reporters: “If a six-year-old child spends seven hours a day in front of TikTok, we can ask ourselves the question, ‘Are their safety and morality really protected by their parents?’”
The commission heard testimony from families who accused TikTok of exposing their children to harmful content.
One mother, whose daughter died in 2021, said: “The content she watched was deadly... prioritising songs that advocate suicide as a liberation.”
Another parent, Martine, said her daughter Lilou – born 7 July 2007 and aged 14 at the time of her death – had been “deluged with videos that suggested death as a solution”.
Speaking to FranceInfo, Martine added: “At no point was she exposed to content that could have inspired her to live.”
TikTok rejected the findings, saying in a statement it “categorically rejected the commission’s misleading characterisation of our platform” and accused it of seeking to “scapegoat our company on industry-wide and societal challenges”.
The company said: “TikTok has an ongoing robust trust and safety programme with more than 70 features and settings designed specifically to support the safety and well-being of teens and families on our platform.”
TikTok noted it has introduced a 60-minute daily limit for under-18s and nudges under-16s to switch off the platform after 10pm.
The inquiry follows similar moves abroad.
Australia will ban under-16s from social media from 10 December, with fines for companies such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube if they fail to act.
Denmark is considering a ban for under-15s, while Spain’s government has introduced draft legislation requiring parental approval for under-16s.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she was monitoring Australia’s law closely and would commission a panel of experts to report by the end of 2025 on the “best approach for Europe”.
