French President Emmanuel Macron, delivering the keynote address on Day 4 of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, urged India to collaborate with France in making the internet and social media platforms safer for children. As per reports, he stressed that governments, regulators, and technology companies must work together to create a protected digital environment for young users.
France has taken a significant legislative step in this direction. Lawmakers in the National Assembly approved a landmark bill on 27 January that seeks to ban children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms.
The legislation, backed by Macron, aims to reduce excessive screen time and address growing concerns about the mental health of young people. The bill is now set to be reviewed by the Senate, the upper house of Parliament, before it can become law. If cleared, France would become the second country globally to impose such restrictions.
During the summit, Macron also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider a similar approach in India. As per reports, he expressed confidence that India would join other nations adopting stricter age-based regulations to protect children and teenagers online. He highlighted the importance of international cooperation in ensuring that digital platforms are no longer an unregulated space for minors.
Across Europe, momentum is building toward tighter controls. Countries such as Greece and Spain are moving toward stronger safeguards for children online. The United Kingdom is also reportedly weighing a ban on social media access for those under 16, with lawmakers debating rules that would require age verification mechanisms or impose heavy penalties on platforms that fail to comply. Should the UK proceed, the United States could remain one of the few major Western countries without a nationwide minimum age restriction.
Australia has already become the first country to enforce such a measure. The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 came into effect on 10 December 2025, banning social media access for users under 16.
In India, discussions around stricter regulations are gaining traction. The country, home to one of the world’s largest youth populations, currently enforces the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, which mandates parental consent for social media access for users under 18. However, enforcement challenges persist, particularly with rising incidents of cyberbullying and concerns over online addiction among teenagers.
Reports suggest, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw acknowledged that the debate around age-based restrictions is becoming more urgent. As per reports, he confirmed that the government is in discussions with social media companies to explore reliable age verification systems that do not compromise user privacy.
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