France is urging its EU partners to show more resolve in the debate over banning social media use by young people. Clara Chappaz, Digital Ambassador to President Emmanuel Macron, told “Der Spiegel” that “Europe should be more confident in this dispute”. She argued that a united front would give the continent more leverage against tech giants and allow Europe to establish consistent rules.
Addressing the major platforms from the US and China, Chappaz noted that TikTok and Instagram generate between 20 and 30 percent of their revenue in Europe, yet these companies have no intention of pulling out. “They will submit to our laws” she asserted.
Chappaz also praised German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), stating that Germany has recently adopted a much clearer stance in favor of a ban, whereas its previous position had been less defined.
France positions itself as a driving force aiming for as many EU member states as possible to introduce age restrictions for social networking. However, not all member states plan outright bans, and there is significant disagreement over the minimum age of access to potentially addictive platforms. While some EU governments consider the digital age to be reached at 14, others, like France, advocate for a later age threshold. Furthermore, a social media ban for those under 16, which is currently in effect in Australia, is proving to be easy to bypass.
Despite these implementation challenges, Chappaz argued that it would provide substantial support to parents when legislators define clear rules. She stressed that these measures would particularly help financially vulnerable families whose children might otherwise spend excessive time looking at screens. “Digital conglomerates earn billions from the addiction of children. They profit from their vulnerability” Chappaz stated.
When questions arose about the technical feasibility of an outright ban, she pointed to the age verification mechanisms that France has already implemented for pornographic sites since 2025. “We demonstrated that it is possible with pornographic sites” Chappaz said, adding that the number of underage users there had dropped by about half. “It is good that pornographic sites that do not require age verification are disappearing from France”.
