Macron calls for EU-wide ban on social media for under 15

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the European Commission to adopt EU-wide rules prohibiting access to social media platforms for children under 15.

In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Macron said it was necessary to ‘protect all children in the Union’ and called for a new European text establishing a harmonised ban on social media access for children under 15.

The request comes ahead of von der Leyen’s annual State of the Union address on 16 September, when she is expected to outline the Commission’s digital policy. In July, von der Leyen expressed support for a phased approach to social media access for different age groups. This followed recommendations from an expert panel to bar access for children under 13 and introduce graduated restrictions for those aged 13 to 18.

France had previously passed an age-verification law modelled on Australia’s December 2025 legislation. However, the French Constitutional Council struck down the measure in August, finding that it disproportionately infringed adolescents’ rights to freedom of expression and communication.