Emmanuel Macron asked in a letter to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen for a “European text” to prohibit access to social networks for those under 15, in order to “protect all the children of the Union”. While a French law to this effect was censored in August by the Constitutional Council, the French president reaffirms his desire to “find a way forward this fall” through a “revised legislative text” at the national level, “respecting Union law and our Constitution”. In this regard, he asks to “be able to count again on the expertise and mobilization” of the Commission services, “in a limited time, when this text” will be transmitted to them”.
Emmanuel Macron, who has made it a major issue at the end of his second term, hopes that a ban will be operational in France when he leaves the Elysée in the spring. But “it is becoming essential today to go further and harmonize, through a new European text, a ban on access to social media platforms for those under 15,” he added in this letter dated August 29.
“The urgency is there,” insists the French president, who over the months has formed a coalition of EU countries in favor of a “numerical majority”, even if there are nuances between them, in particular on the age to be set. “Age verification must be based on a set of robust national and European solutions that respect privacy protection rules,” believes Emmanuel Macron. He also asks that this European text “make it possible to target and clearly regulate addictive functionalities and to introduce safety standards by default”, such as “use time limits”.
Von der Leyen plans progressive access from 13 years old
In July, Ursula von der Leyen promised proposals “after the summer”. She said she wanted to “consider progressive and graduated access for different age groups” to social networks, thus seeming to want to follow the opinion of a committee of European experts which recommended a ban on access for those under 13, and less strict limits between 13 and 18 years. Before she unveils her own plan, Emmanuel Macron is therefore pushing for a tougher position, with a harmonized European ban on children under 15, according to the model he wants to put in place in France.
The Constitutional Council considered that the French Parliament’s text caused “a disproportionate attack” on the freedom of expression and communication of adolescents. However, he recognized “the constitutional requirement to protect the best interests of the child”. The Head of State assures in his letter that the restrictions must be “better defined and supervised” to be accepted by the Wise Men.
