The Macronist deputy from Marne, Laure Miller, recently sent a letter to Iris Knobloch, president of the Cannes Film Festival, questioning the partnership established with TikTok. This intervention comes in the wake of hearings held by the inquiry committee on the impact of the Chinese social network on the mental health of young people. Laure Miller, the rapporteur of this committee, is concerned about the dangers that TikTok represents for teenagers and is calling for a reassessment of this agreement.
A significant presence at Cannes
The 2025 Cannes Film Festival is not shy about showcasing TikTok, which holds a predominant place during the event. It’s impossible not to notice the iconic poster of the social network or its beach near the famous Carlton Hotel. TikTok’s notoriety has allowed numerous influencers, Instagrammers, and other content creators to light up the Croisette, thereby attracting a younger audience that increasingly favors the small screen of their smartphones over the big screen of cinema. Indeed, over 72% of TikTok’s subscribers are under 24 years old, a fact that raises concerns for the deputy about the potential disastrous repercussions this could generate.
The concerns of Laure Miller
Laure Miller expresses deep discomfort regarding this partnership, questioning the meaning of the tribute paid to this platform. She underlines the importance of considering the dangers it represents and even calls for an end to this agreement or its reevaluation. Drawing from her experience as a former lawyer, she is aware of the harmful effects that social networks can have on mental health, especially among the youth.
An active inquiry committee
As the rapporteur of the inquiry committee on TikTok’s impact, Laure Miller has begun a process of hearing experts, specialists, and affected families, who accuse the social network of being partly responsible for the psychological distress of their children. The committee’s objectives are clear: to study the impact of the platform’s attention-capturing mechanisms and evaluate their psychological effects, particularly concerning mental health and suicidal behaviors.
The harmful effects of TikTok
The findings of the inquiry committee are alarming. The videos, initially short, have become longer and have managed to assert themselves in the lives of adolescents, attracting new users every day. TikTok thus has more than 15 million subscribers in France, including many children under 12 years old, despite an age restriction set at 13 years. Laure Miller then highlights the major risk posed by this increased exposure to potentially dangerous content.
A call for vigilance
In her approach, Laure Miller calls for greater engagement from artists and professionals in the film industry regarding this situation. She hopes that there will be an awareness of the stakes linked to this affiliation with TikTok, a social network viewed as problematic in many respects. In a strong statement, she insists that “the content and strategy of TikTok are problematic for our youngest.”
The need for increased oversight
The deputy also criticizes the content moderation system on TikTok, which she describes as opaque and ineffective. She calls for stricter oversight and strengthening of protective measures for young users. Far from being a mere communication, this need for enhanced security tools is based on precise data, some of which show that young subscribers in mental distress receive excessive exposure to content related to serious themes, such as suicide and self-harm.
Measures to consider at the European level
Alongside its actions, the committee plans to broaden its research to other social networks that could present similar problems. The goal is to raise awareness among young people and their families about the dangers posed by this growing addiction to social networks. With a reflection on potential bans for those under 15 years old, similar to those implemented in Australia, it seems crucial to act quickly at both the national and European levels to protect the health of young users, as well as the sustainability of their learning and cognitive abilities.
For more information on the impacts of social networks, it is possible to consult articles addressing artificial intelligence related to education as in this article here, or concerning the strategies of similar platforms, such as Meta here. You can also explore how artificial intelligence is currently influencing the world here, but also stay informed about digital revolutions in NFTs here and cryptocurrencies here.
