French President Emmanuel Macron Urges European Union (EU)-Wide Ban on Social Media for Children Under 15

Key facts

• French President Emmanuel Macron has urged the European Commission to back a European Union (EU)-wide ban on social media for children under 15 after France failed to enact its own legislation.
• Macron made the appeal in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen dated August 29, saying it had become urgent to introduce a bloc-wide ban through new EU legislation.
• France's Constitutional Council struck down a national social media bill this summer before it was due to take effect in September.
• Macron wrote that a new European legislative text was needed to harmonise a ban on access to social media platforms for children under 15 in order to protect all children across the Union.
• Following Australia's landmark social media ban for children adopted last year, several European countries are considering their own curbs amid growing concern over the impact of social media on young people's mental health and safety.
• Some European countries, especially in Scandinavia, believe decisions on children's social media use are best left to parents.
• Macron, now in his final year as French president, has taken up the cause as a priority before the next French presidential election in 2027 and has been lobbying other EU governments to back restrictions.
• France would separately rework the legislation struck down by the Constitutional Council, though political fragmentation in parliament and difficult budget negotiations could complicate efforts to pass a new law.
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in July that the EU would move to limit young children's access to social media across the 27-member bloc, citing proposals from two experts recommending a tiered system.
• Under the tiered approach, children under 13 would only be allowed limited, supervised access, with restrictions eased gradually as they get older.
• Macron is seeking a tougher approach, pushing for a blanket ban on social media access until the age of 15, ahead of Von der Leyen's flagship State of the Union speech to the EU parliament later this month.