Established in March 2025 by the governing party and supported unanimously supported by all political parties, the non-partisan committee conducted its six-month review. It heard from 178 witnesses, including mental health experts, researchers, digital platform representatives, and bereaved families. A large-scale public consultation that gathered over 30,000 responses also informed the report’s conclusions.
Chaired by Socialist Member of Parliament Arthur Delaporte, with Renaissance MP Laure Miller as the committee’s rapporteur, the commission portrays TikTok as “one of the worst social networks assaulting our youth.” According to the report, the platform monetizes young users’ attention, exposing them to extreme and sometimes harmful content while largely escaping existing regulation.
From the outset, the report stresses TikTok’s highly addictive design. Its algorithm, opaque and highly personalized, is said to trap users, particularly minors, in endless streams of extreme content on self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, hate speech, and sexism.
TikTok’s business model centres on maximizing user attention to fuel targeted advertising revenue. This algorithmic logic, which amplifies emotionally charged material, allegedly exposes young people to content that can undermine their well-being and, in some cases, their mental health.
Among the most striking moments of the inquiry were the testimonies of families who lost children or experienced severe distress linked to TikTok use. Parents described suicide attempts they believed were directly linked to videos viewed on the platform. Some adolescents reportedly encountered tutorials promoting self-harm or suicide. In closed-door sessions, young people described feeling trapped by the algorithm, struggling to disconnect, and spiralling into emotional distress.
Although TikTok claims to enforce strict rules and use automated moderation systems, the commission found these measures largely ineffective. The platform reportedly depends on self-declared ages without meaningful verification, making the theoretical age limit of 13 or 15 years, depending on European and French standards, virtually meaningless. During hearings, TikTok representatives failed to convince lawmakers of the effectiveness of their internal mechanisms or demonstrate genuine transparency.
Violent, hateful, and sexualized content continues to circulate with minimal filtering, particularly through livestreaming and messaging features. The inquiry also revealed delays in removing sensitive keywords and responding to user reports.
While acknowledging that social media should not be defined solely by its negative effects, the commission calls for a fundamental shift in perspective. The report concludes that TikTok is not a neutral platform, but a digital environment intentionally designed to encourage addictive behaviour. It outlines 43 recommendations to strengthen protections for minors, hold platforms accountable, and build awareness among all educational stakeholders, from schools to families.
The report was released as the European Union continues to strengthen its regulatory framework for digital platforms. Since 2023, the Digital Services Act (DSA) has imposed new obligations on major platforms such as TikTok regarding transparency, content moderation, and the protection of minors.
Members of Parliament argue that France and the European Union must go further, noting that private companies have shown they cannot effectively self-regulate. The report therefore sets out 43 recommendations, some of which are ambitious and even radical.
The report goes beyond platform accountability, emphasizing the shared responsibility of families, schools, governments, and online influencers. It calls for collective action and greater public awareness of the effects of digital environments that have become pervasive yet poorly understood.
While several recommendations will require new legislative or regulatory measures, others can be implemented immediately, particularly within educational and family settings.
The commission concludes that protecting young people from TikTok’s algorithmic trap does not mean rejecting technological innovation. Rather, it calls for building a more ethical, transparent, and mentally healthy online environment, one that respects and safeguards the well-being of the most vulnerable.
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