French President Emmanuel Macron urged the European Commission to back a European Union-wide ban on social media for children under 15 after Paris failed to enact its own legislation, his office said Tuesday.
In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen dated Aug. 29, Macron said it had become urgent to introduce a bloc-wide ban through new EU legislation after France's Constitutional Council struck down a national bill this summer before it was due to take effect in September.
"I believe it has now become essential to go further and, through a new European legislative text, harmonize a ban on access to social media platforms for children under the age of 15, in order to protect all children across the Union," Macron wrote.
Following Australia's landmark social media ban for children adopted last year, several European countries are considering their own curbs amid growing concern over the impact of social media on young people's mental health and safety. But some countries, especially in Scandinavia, believe it is best left for parents to decide.
Macron, now in his final year as president, has taken up the cause as a priority before the next French presidential election in 2027, and has been lobbying other EU governments to back restrictions.
