In a bold move to safeguard young minds, French President Emmanuel Macron has declared his government will accelerate legislation to prohibit children under the age of fifteen from accessing social media platforms. The proposed law aims to be enforced before the commencement of the next academic year in September, marking a significant step in digital protection for minors.
'Our Children's Brains Are Not for Sale'
Macron emphasized the urgency of this initiative in a video statement released late Saturday, stating, "The brains of our children and adolescents are not for sale." He further elaborated that "their emotions are not for sale or to be manipulated, whether by American platforms or Chinese algorithms," highlighting concerns over external influences on youth psychology.
Comprehensive Measures for Teenagers and Schools
The French government's plan includes not only the social media ban for under-15s but also a prohibition on mobile phone usage in high schools. Macron described these actions as clear and necessary rules designed to benefit teenagers, families, and educators alike, fostering a more focused and secure learning environment.
Global Context and Similar Efforts
This announcement aligns with a broader international push for stricter online safety regulations to protect minors from potential harms associated with social media. In December, Australia enacted landmark legislation banning under-16s from holding accounts on popular platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Following this, British authorities have indicated they are considering comparable measures, including a possible ban on social media use for individuals under sixteen.
Addressing Ineffective Safeguards in France
In France, the drive for this ban is spearheaded by lawmakers who argue that current protective measures are inadequate due to flawed age-verification systems. One legislator involved in the process pointed out that existing protocols allow users to simply input any date of birth to gain access to social networks, rendering safeguards virtually useless.
"What we want to impose on platforms, by strictly enforcing the European Digital Services Act, is real age verification when you access a social network," she explained. "That changes everything, because users will actually have to prove whether they are over or under fifteen." While acknowledging that some individuals might still circumvent restrictions, she stressed that the priority is to take decisive steps to enhance online protection for minors.
Outcomes and Reactions from Australia
Following Australia's implementation of its ban, authorities reported that over 4.7 million social media accounts suspected of belonging to under-16s had been deactivated or removed. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese justified the decision by citing mounting evidence of social harm and increasing pressure from both parents and young people.
"We know that social harm is being caused, and therefore we have a responsibility as a government to respond," Albanese stated. He added that teenagers should be encouraged to dedicate more time to offline pursuits such as sports, music, and reading, promoting a healthier balance in their daily lives.
Criticism and Influential Perspectives
Not all stakeholders support such bans. Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X, previously criticized Australia's measures, labeling them a "backdoor war to control access to the Internet," although his platform has complied with the law. Meanwhile, a key influence behind Australia's decision was a 2024 book by American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, which argues that social media has profoundly damaged children's mental health.
Haidt contends, "The basic argument is that we've overprotected our children in the real world and under-protected them online. We were wrong on both points." This perspective underscores the growing consensus that digital environments require more robust safeguards to complement physical world protections.
