European Social Media Ban For Under-15s Urged By France’s Macron

Big name tech firms are facing a potential challenge from a leading European head of state, who is seeking to ban social media for children under the age of 15 years.

Reuters reported that French President Emmanuel Macron has added to the wave of pressure on social media firms after he said he would push for European Union regulation to ban social media for children under the age of 15 after a fatal stabbing at a school in eastern France.

Australia was the first nation in the world to ban social media accounts for anyone under 16 in November 2024, but other nations and US states are also considering implementing similar laws, amid growing concern about its impact on youngsters.

French ban?

Besides France, Norway is also said to be considering bans on social media for teenagers and youngsters.

Last November the UK’s technology secretary Peter Kyle had admitted the United Kingdom was considering a possible social media ban for under-16s after Australia’s lead.

But this was quickly dismissed by the UK government, and Kyle later backtracked over his comments.

Now Reuters quoted President Macron as saying in an interview late on Tuesday that he hoped to see results within the next few months.

And Macron threatened to bypass the European Union if it does not take action on the matter.

“If that does not work, we will start to do it in France. We cannot wait,” Macron told the France 2 public broadcaster, hours after a fatal stabbing at a middle school in Nogent, Haute-Marne.

Police reportedly have arrested and questioned a 14-year-old student on Tuesday over the knifing of a 31-year-old school aide during a bag search for weapons.

It should be remembered that most major social media platforms (Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat) insist that users must be at least 13 years or older.

Meanwhile in May 2024 the European Commission had opened an official child safety investigation into Facebook and Instagram-owner Meta Platforms.

Protecting children

The issue of protecting children from the impact of social media is becoming a growing political issue.

A previous study for example highlighted the negative impact, especially on young girls.

In October 2024, attorneys general from 14 US states filed lawsuits against TikTok, claiming the company knowingly profits from addicting children to the app.

Internal company documents inadvertently exposed through the lawsuit showed the company was aware of potential harms to children, and that at times it presented information publicly that contradicted its own internal research.

Social media bans

Last year the Australian government had announced the “world leading legislation” to tackle the use of social media by children and young teenagers, despite the vocal opposition from the likes of Elon Musk and others.

A number of US states are also exploring bans on social media for youngsters.

In 2024 a federal judge had temporarily blocked Utah’s law, that would have required social media companies to check the ages of all users and place restrictions on accounts belonging to minors.

Meanwhile California, which has the largest population of any US state, will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent starting in 2027.

And New York state allows parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform’s algorithm.

Meanwhile a Florida social media ban for minors under 14 had been signed by Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, in March 2024.

But earlier this month US District Judge Mark Walker issued an order, blocking portions of that law from taking effect.

And a couple of weeks ago Texas lawmakers had failed in their bid to ban social platforms for youngsters under 18 years of age.