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   French President takes aim at American platforms and Chinese algorithms as   
   France moves to ban social media for under-15s   
      
   Date:   
   Tue, 27 Jan 2026 22:00:00 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   The emotions of our children and teenagers are not for sale  France wants its   
   own social media ban for minors, and it wont be the last we see in 2026.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   French MPs just voted 116-23 in favor of a social media ban aimed at minors   
   in what is being heralded as a major step towards protecting kids and   
   teenagers online.    
      
   As you can imagine, not everyone is happy with the proposed rules.    
      
   The bill hasnt been passed into law yet  Frances Senate must also approve it,   
   and some wonder if it will be blocked under European law after a similar bill   
   was stopped in 2023  but it follows in the footsteps of similar rules weve   
   been seeing in Australia, the United Kingdom, and some US states.    
      
   Speaking in a video broadcast about the bill, French President Emmanuel    
   Macron said, The emotions of our children and teenagers are not for sale or    
   to be manipulated, either by American platforms or Chinese algorithms  clear   
   references to the likes of Instagram, X, and TikTok.   
      
   Once introduced, these and other social media services will need to verify    
   the age of French users or bar them from accessing content. Given that some   
   kind of age verification system may be coming at the European level, France   
   will probably be just the first EU nation to impose such a ban  case in    
   point, Ireland, Spain, and Denmark are also considering such rules.    
      
   While many parents, lawmakers, and even some children have reacted    
   positively, others have had fewer kind words to share.    
      
   Scrolling through (ironically) social media, youll find plenty of comments   
   calling this legislative overreach. While others are concerned about needing   
   to share their IDs online  especially following various data leaks involving   
   IDs from countries that have imposed similar rules (such as a Discord breach   
   which saw hackers steal thousands of government-ID photos).   
      
   The better of two evils   
      
   You dont have to look far to find reports showing the harmful effects of   
   social media on mental health  some of which come from the companies   
   themselves . Nor to find examples of the ways platforms could be used and   
   abused by users and their own creators  such as the recent example of Grok   
   being used to create explicit images of women and children , or whistleblower   
   claims that Meta platforms can target users with ads based on their emotional   
   state (something Meta has denied doing, but did admit to researching across a   
   series of statements back in 2017).   
      
   At the same time, I know how valuable social media can be. YouTube and TikTok   
   can be incredible educational platforms, social media can provide access to   
   invaluable news sources, create spaces for people to organize action around    
   an important cause they care about, or simply give people the chance to find    
   a crowd they can fit in with that they might not be able to find locally.    
      
   But does this good outweigh the evils?    
      
   Honestly, Im not sure. If asked to choose one extreme or the other, Im in   
   favor of a ban  in part because widespread bans could be what forces    
   platforms to finally clean up their act.    
      
   Id still prefer a more nuanced approach.    
      
   Something which involves identity verification thats secure and private to   
   check age and that someone is a human, which addresses the issues plaguing   
   social media that go beyond those simply affecting minors to those affecting   
   users of all ages too, and that gives parents the ability to make decisions   
   for their child (choosing to allow access to certain platforms when they   
   believe their kid is ready).    
      
   Though that might be too much to ask of politicians who arent as internet   
   savvy as they should be. Maybe as we see more bans over the coming year,   
   theyll prove me wrong and find an approach that works for everyone.    
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/computing/social-media/french-president-takes-aim-at   
   -american-platforms-and-chinese-algorithms-as-france-moves-to-ban-social-media   
   -for-under-15s   
      
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