France seeks social media ban for children under 15

French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to implement a ban on social media access for children under the age of 15. Despite a previous refusal from the Constitutional Council, the President has tasked the Prime Minister with drafting new legislation to address concerns regarding the impact of digital platforms on minors.

In conjunction with these efforts, Sarah El Haïry, the High Commissioner for Children, is advocating for a “Child Safe by Design” doctrine. This approach aims to move from reactive policies to preventative ones by requiring digital services to integrate safety features during the initial design phase. Proposed measures include protective settings enabled by default, reduced mechanisms for addiction, and decreased exposure to violent or pornographic content.

Additionally, El Haïry has proposed a “Challenge-score,” a visible impact indicator similar to the Nutri-Score, to measure how platforms affect children's health, rights, and exposure to problematic content. The initiative also seeks to incorporate “child risk” into corporate governance, making it a standard consideration for boards and investors alongside financial and cyber risks.