France pushes EU ban on social media for children

French President Emmanuel Macron has urged the European Commission to adopt an EU‑wide ban on social media for children under 15 years of age.

In a letter dated 29 August, Macron wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling for a single legislative text that would prohibit access to social media platforms for children below the age of 15 across all 27 member states.

The call comes after France’s Constitutional Council rejected a national bill that had been expected to come into force in September. The French proposal would have imposed a ban on children under 15, but the court’s decision left the issue unresolved at the national level.

Macron argues that individual countries should not have to address the problem separately. He said a harmonised EU rule would provide consistent protection for children throughout the Union.

The initiative arrives as Macron enters the final year of his presidency. France is scheduled to hold a presidential election in 2027, and the president is ineligible to run for a third consecutive term. His government is expected to attempt to reintroduce national restrictions, but political divisions and budget negotiations could hinder passage of new legislation.

In July, Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU was preparing measures to reduce young children’s exposure to social media. The proposed approach would allow children under 13 limited, supervised access, with restrictions easing as they age.

Macron’s proposal is considerably stricter, banning all social media use for children until they reach 15. He aims to address the issue before von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech to the European Parliament later this month.

The debate has intensified across Europe following Australia’s decision to introduce a world‑first social media ban for children. The Australian government has proposed a “My Feed, My Way” system that would require platforms to disclose how default feeds work and allow users to choose the type of content they receive.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended the proposal as a practical way to give people greater control over their online experience and to hold technology companies more accountable for online safety. Meta Platforms and Alphabet have not yet commented on the proposed Australian rules.

Australia’s plan builds on measures already introduced by the EU. The EU Digital Services Act, effective since 2024, requires major platforms to let users turn off profiling and certain forms of personalized content.

Under the Australian proposal, companies would need to document the steps they take to mitigate risks to users and demonstrate that these measures remain effective over time. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to A$109.2 million (approximately US$79 million).

Macron’s push for an EU‑wide ban reflects growing concern across the continent about

Article and image source: parisguardian.com