Macron Urges India to Join France in Banning Social Media for Children Under 15

French President Emmanuel Macron used his address at the India AI Summit on February 19 to call for international action to restrict children’s access to social media and invited India to join France’s effort.

“There is no reason our children should be exposed online to what is legally forbidden in the real world,” Macron said as he urged platforms, governments and regulators to work together to make the internet safer for young users.

“This is why in France, we are embarking on a process to ban social networks for children under 15 years old.”

He added that several European countries are aligned with the approach. “We are committed here in this journey, with several European countries being present here today, Greece, Spain,” he said, referring to European counterparts.

Macron directly addressed India’s Prime Minister during his remarks and expressed confidence that India would support the initiative.

“I know, Mr Prime Minister, you will join this club,” he said. He called India’s participation an important step to protect children and teenagers.

Macron said the world needs to take all necessary actions to ensure that young citizens are truly safe. “Protecting our children is not regulation as well. It is civilisation.”

France has been tightening digital regulations in recent years, including stricter age-verification requirements for adult websites and greater oversight of major technology platforms under European Union frameworks such as the Digital Services Act.

Across Europe, governments have debated age limits, parental controls and platform accountability as concerns grow over exposure to harmful content, online harassment and mental health impacts among minors.

India has also been reviewing online safety and digital governance measures, including provisions under its Information Technology rules and the Digital Personal Data Protection framework. However, a nationwide social media ban for minors has not been formally announced.