A draft law has been submitted by MP Tony Frangieh that would ban social media use for anyone under 14 in Lebanon.
Information Minister Paul Morcos also called for the development of a national plan to regulate how children use the internet and mobile apps.
The move comes as several countries push similar restrictions. Australia led the way with a ban on social media for users under 16. France and Spain followed. The United Kingdom, Egypt, Denmark, Norway, Greece, and India are also considering comparable measures.
The debate has intensified after social media whistleblowers alleged that major platforms deliberately designed their apps to be addictive for children.
Last week, Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and CEO of Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, took the stand in court in a case accusing social media companies of intentionally building products that hook young users.
Part of the case examined claims that certain digital filters encouraged cosmetic surgery and negatively affected children’s self image.
