French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will pursue a nationwide ban on social media access for children under 15 if the European Union fails to take coordinated action within the next few months. His remarks were delivered on June 10, 2025, during a televised interview with France 2, broadcast from Nice following his appearance at the UN Oceans Conference. The proposal follows the fatal stabbing of a teaching assistant by a 14-year-old student in Nogent, Haute-Marne, an incident that reignited public debate over youth violence and online influence.
The proposed ban would rely on age verification technologies, with Macron citing facial recognition and identity document checks as possible solutions. Although no specific mechanism has been mandated, the president emphasized that platforms “have the means” to implement age checks. The initiative may eventually be supported by the France Identité mobile app, a part of the country’s digital identity infrastructure.
“I’m giving us a few months to get the European mobilization going. Otherwise… we’ll start doing it in France. We can’t wait,” Macron said. While he urged EU-wide coordination, a European Commission spokesperson has confirmed that such decisions fall under national jurisdiction, clearing the way for unilateral French legislation if needed.
Background and Policy Development
The under-15 social media ban was among the key recommendations of the “Screens Commission,” a panel of experts in medicine, psychology, and law established by Macron in 2024. The group delivered its findings in April 2024, advocating a minimum age of 15 for full access to social media and proposing that younger users be limited to platforms that align with ethical standards for youth engagement.
The proposed measures also include a ban on knife sales to minors, introduced as part of a broader response to youth violence. “It is not acceptable for a child or teenager to have a bladed weapon on the street or at school. We must no longer be able to sell them. Zero tolerance,” Macron declared during the same interview.
Technical Feasibility and Privacy Concerns
The idea of using facial recognition for age verification is controversial and would require careful alignment with EU data protection regulations, especially given the sensitivity of biometric data and the involvement of minors. Recent debates in France over the use of facial recognition by law enforcement have underscored the legal and ethical complexities of such technology.
Nevertheless, the feasibility of Macron’s proposal is reinforced by technological advances in the private sector. AI-powered age verification systems are already in use globally, with Swiss firm Privately SA reportedly processing more than 300,000 age checks per month across over 90 countries.
Source: The Connexion, Politico, France24
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By Cass Kennedy
