France eyes to ban social media for users under 15 following school stabbing

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to push for a ban on social media access for teens under 15 across the European Union (EU), following a deadly stabbing at a middle school in north-east France.

In a televised interview with France 2 on June 10, Macron said he hoped to see progress on regulation.

"I'm giving ourselves a couple of months to see if we can achieve a European mobilisation. If that doesn't work, I will negotiate so that we can start to do it in France. We cannot wait," Macron said.

The statement came just hours after the fatal incident at a middle school in Nogent, Haute-Marne, where a 31-year-old teaching assistant was fatally stabbed during a routine bag search. French media reported that a 14-year-old student has been taken into custody and questioned in connection with the attack.

Addressing the incident, Macron pointed to social media as a contributing factor in the rise of violent behaviour among young people. His remarks were echoed by Prime Minister François Bayrou, who told the French parliament that the stabbing was not an isolated case, according to a Reuters report.

Later on June 10, in a post on X, Macron said, "Platforms have the ability to verify age. Do it." He also mentioned that expert recommendations support age-based restrictions on digital platforms.

Macron's comments place France alongside a growing number of countries looking to tighten control over how minors use digital platforms. In 2024, Australia passed laws banning social media for users under 16.