President Emmanuel Macron Encourages Prohibition Of Social Media For Children Under 15 Years Old

French President Emmanuel Macron said he would push for regulations at the EU level to ban the use of social media for children under the age of 15. This statement comes following a fatal stabbing incident that occurred in a high school in eastern France, which again rocked the country.

In an interview with France 2 public television station on Tuesday night, June 10, Macron said he hoped the regulation could materialize in the next few months. "If that doesn't work at the EU level, we will start implementing it in France. We can't wait," he said hours after the stabbing at a high school in Nogent, Haute-Marne.

In the incident, police have examined a 14-year-old student who allegedly stabbed a 31-year-old school officer during a bag examination to search for weapons. French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said the incident was not an isolated case, but part of an increasing trend of violence among teenagers.

Macron highlighted the role of social media as one of the factors that sparked violence among young people. In his upload on platform X ( formerly known as Twitter) after the interview, Macron confirmed that this kind of regulation is supported by experts. "Platforms have the ability to verify user age. Do that," he wrote.

Macron's remarks come amid a wave of policies being implemented in various countries to limit the use of social media among children.

For example, Australia in 2024 passed a ban on the use of social media for children under the age of 16 after intense public debate. This policy is one of the strictest regulations against major technology companies in the world.

Although most social media platforms prohibit children under the age of 13 from using their services, a report from Australia's online security regulator found that children were still easy to trick these restrictions and use social media illegally.