Emmanuel Macron has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider implementing a ban on social media usage for individuals under the age of 15, in line with France's own efforts to enact comparable limitations.
Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19th, President Macron articulated France's plans to prohibit the use of social media by individuals under the age of 15.
He emphasized that safeguarding children from the influence of artificial intelligence will be a key focus for France at the forthcoming G7 summit.
Furthermore, President Macron disclosed that Spain is contemplating similar actions and encouraged India to take similar steps in this regard. India's Information Technology Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced that the administration is reviewing regulations that mandate age restrictions for social media usage, and is engaged in dialogues with platform operators.
France has explored the possibility of prohibiting various social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and X. The potential limitations are expected to be implemented starting on September 26th. Australia has already put into effect a prohibition on the use of social media for individuals under the age of 16.
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Emmanuel Macron commended India's advancements in digital modernization, particularly in the realm of online financial transactions, highlighting the global uniqueness of the Unified Payments Interface system.
He pointed out that just ten years ago, a street vendor in Mumbai lacking a permanent address or official identification would have encountered challenges in establishing a bank account, whereas today, that very same vendor can effortlessly process digital payments through a mobile device.
He went on to mention that India has established a unique digital identity program for a population of 1.4 billion, a robust payment network handling 20 billion transactions each month, and a healthcare system that has dispensed 500 million digital health identifiers, all under the umbrella term of the India Stack Open Interoperable Sovereign.
Vaishnaw addressed the issue of potentially limiting children's use of social media. He verified that the government is in communication with social media firms and has expressed apprehensions regarding deepfakes.
Vaishnaw asserted the necessity for stricter regulations in order to combat the escalating issue of deepfakes and stressed the importance of safeguarding children and society from resultant dangers. Additionally, he mentioned that talks have commenced with industry stakeholders to identify potential supplementary regulatory actions beyond current frameworks.
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Vaishnaw further mentioned that numerous countries have implemented age-based distinctions in online content accessibility. He emphasized the inclusion of similar provisions in India's Digital Personal Data Protection framework, highlighting it as a proactive measure to protect young internet users.