“Our Children’s Brains Are Not for Sale” – Emmanuel Macron Pushes Social Media Ban

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French President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to fast-track legislation that would ban children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms, describing the move as an urgent step to protect young minds from digital exploitation and psychological harm.

In a video message released late Saturday, Macron declared that children’s mental and emotional well-being must not be treated as commodities by global tech companies. 

“The brains of our children and adolescents are not for sale,” the French leader said. “Their emotions are not for sale or to be manipulated, whether by American platforms or Chinese algorithms.”

According to Macron, the French government is aiming to have the ban enforced before the start of the next academic year in September. 

Beyond restricting social media access, the proposed measures would also prohibit mobile phone use in high schools, a decision he described as a clear and necessary rule for teenagers, families and educators.

The French president’s announcement comes amid growing global concern over the impact of social media on children and adolescents. Several Western countries are now moving toward stricter online safety regulations for minors. 

In December, Australia passed landmark legislation banning under-16s from holding accounts on major platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. The United Kingdom has also signaled it is considering similar policies, including a possible ban for under-16s.

In France, lawmakers backing the proposal argue that current safeguards meant to protect minors are largely ineffective due to weak age-verification systems.

 One lawmaker involved in the process noted that most platforms rely on self-reported dates of birth, allowing underage users to bypass restrictions with ease.

“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 said. “That changes everything, because users will actually have to prove whether they are over or under 15.”

While acknowledging that some young users may still attempt to evade the rules, she stressed that the priority is to take firm action to reduce online risks for minors.

Australia’s experience has been cited as evidence that such policies can be effective. Following its ban, authorities reported that more than 4.7 million social media accounts believed to belong to under-16s were deactivated or removed. 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the decision was driven by mounting evidence of social harm and growing pressure from parents and young people.

“We know that social harm is being caused, and therefore we have a responsibility as a government to respond,” Albanese said, encouraging teenagers to spend more time on offline activities such as sports, music and reading.

However, the approach has faced criticism. Elon Musk, owner of X, previously described Australia’s ban as a “backdoor war to control access to the Internet,” though the platform has complied with the law.

The debate has also been influenced by a 2024 book by American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, who argues that social media has played a significant role in the decline of children’s mental health.

 “We’ve overprotected our children in the real world and under-protected them online,” Haidt said. “We were wrong on both points.”

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