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French President Emmanuel Macron says helium wants his authorities to fast-track the ineligible process to guarantee that a prohibition connected societal media for children nether the property of 15 tin participate into unit successful September astatine the commencement of the adjacent schoolhouse year.
In a video released precocious Saturday (January 24, 2026) by French broadcaster BFM-TV, Mr. Macron said helium had asked his authorities to initiate an accelerated process truthful that the projected authorities tin determination arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable and beryllium passed by the Senate successful time.
“The brains of our children and our teenagers are not for sale,” Mr. Macron said. “The emotions of our children and our teenagers are not for merchantability oregon to beryllium manipulated. Neither by American platforms, nor by Chinese algorithms.”
Mr. Macron’s announcement came conscionable days aft the British authorities said it would see banning young teenagers from societal media arsenic it tightens laws designed to support children from harmful contented and excessive surface time.
According to France’s wellness watchdog, 1 successful 2 teenagers spends betwixt 2 and 5 hours a time connected a smartphone. In a study published successful December, it said that immoderate 90% of children aged betwixt 12 and 17 usage smartphones regular to entree the internet, with 58% of them utilizing their devices for societal networks.
The study highlighted a scope of harmful effects stemming from the usage of societal networks, including reduced self-esteem and accrued vulnerability to contented associated with risky behaviours specified arsenic self-harm and cause use. Several families successful France person sued TikTok implicit teen deaths they accidental are linked to harmful content.
Mr. Macron’s bureau told The Associated Press that the video was addressed to lawmaker Laure Miller, who is sponsoring the measure that volition beryllium examined successful a nationalist league connected Monday (January 26, 2026).
“We are banning societal media for under-15s, and we are going to prohibition mobile phones successful our precocious schools,” Mr. Macron said. “I judge this is simply a wide rule. Clear for our teenagers, wide for families, wide for teachers, and we are moving forward.”
In Australia, societal media companies person revoked entree to astir 4.7 cardinal accounts identified arsenic belonging to children since the state banned usage of the platforms by those nether 16, officials said. The instrumentality provoked fraught debates successful Australia astir exertion use, privacy, kid information and intelligence wellness and has prompted different countries to see akin measures.
