On April 18, French President Emmanuel Macron stated at a video conference of European leaders on April 16 that, regarding the ongoing discussion about banning social media platforms for teenagers, he suggested directly banning platforms for those under 15, rather than prioritizing parental consent mechanisms.
This video conference was convened by France, with participation from more than 10 European countries, including Germany, Ireland, Spain, and Cyprus, as well as the European Commission. Macron said that France had tried parental consent mechanisms, but with limited success, especially for families lacking digital literacy and oversight.
According to reports from appreviewpros.com, parental consent mechanisms require minors to obtain parental consent before using social media. Macron believes the responsibility should not fall on parents, but rather on social media platforms. Social media platforms should ensure they offer multiple reliable age verification methods, and Europe should have its own.
Currently, more and more European countries are considering restricting youth’s use of social media and weighing the options between direct platform bans and parental consent. Information on the European Commission’s website indicates that an age verification application it has developed is technically ready and will soon be available to the public.
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