French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he wanted to ban children under the age of 11 from using mobile phones, according to Euractiv.
France has already imposed restrictions on the use of technology by minors. Child protection is also high on the upcoming EU agenda. However, Macron decided to go further. At a press conference on Wednesday covering the upcoming snap election, Macron stated that he supported “restricting access to social media before the age of 15.”
Earlier, he called the election after his party’s defeat in the EU vote, in which the national-oriented Rassemblement national (ID) received almost twice as many votes as his Renaissance (Renew) party.
According to the October 2023 e-enfance report, this could be a popular move as 70 per cent of French parents are struggling to control their children’s social media use.
According to the October 2023 e-enfance report, this could be a popular move as 70 per cent of French parents are struggling to control their children’s social media use. Re-elected MEP Stéphanie Yon-Courtin (Renew, France) also took the opportunity to emphasise similar measures which she said she was pushing at EU level.
Meanwhile, Green Party MP Sandrine Rousseau called Macron a “fake” for worrying about the problems of minors and technology, while “fascism is at the gates of power.”
The French Les Républicains party’s François-Xavier Bellamy also recently criticised Macron on X.
Throughout the European campaign, I fought Emmanuel Macron who wants to make the French believe that there is only him or the RN. By agreeing to dissolve, the right would prove him right.
EU legislation
Macron’s proposals stem from an expert report by a special commission presented at the Elysee Palace in April. The document recommended that mobile phones should not be used by children under the age of 11, that Internet access on mobile phones should be restricted until the age of 13, and that access to social networks on mobile phones should be restricted until the age of 15.
Renaissance’s programme for the EU elections proposed a “digital majority” at age 15, parental controls “by design” on mobile devices, and “systematic age verification for access to websites prohibited to minors,” such as pornographic websites. However, the party’s programme did not include a ban on smartphone use for children under 11.
Meanwhile, the issue of minors’ access to digital services is increasingly being discussed at EU level. Restricting the use of social media or smartphones by minors under the age of 15 could be part of the upcoming discussion on updating the EU consumer protection law.
Internal documents indicate that the EU executive is working on age verification systems as part of the implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The European Parliament’s report on addictive design also calls for greater protection for minors online. However, it does not include age verification systems or age-based access restrictions.
The new EU rules will apply to the whole bloc but will override most provisions of French laws. However, they will force all platforms operating in the EU to comply with certain rules, which France is actively trying to influence.
