Macron hints India may ban social media for children under 15: 'Mr PM you will join this club'
The French President hailed India’s digital economy, asserting that it has created digital identity for 1.4 billion people. He said no other country in the world has been able to do this.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday attended India AI Impact Summit 2026, alongside several world leaders and global CEOs. The event is being held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. In his keynote address, Macron indicated that India might consider banning the use of social media for children below 15 years of age. He said such restrictions were there in France and PM Modi was mulling them too.
“Mr PM you will join this club..to protect children and teenagers. Protecting children is not regulation, but civilisation," Macron said.
Macron lauds India's digital stride
The French President hailed India’s digital economy, asserting that it has created digital identity for 1.4 billion people. He said no other country in the world has been able to do this. Macron also emphasised the significant social effects resulting from India’s technological advancements over the past ten years.
"I started with a story about a street vendor in Mumbai. Ten years ago, the world told India that 1.4 billion people could not be brought into the digital economy. India proved them wrong. Today, some say AI is a game only the biggest can play...India, France, Europe, together with our partners, those who believe in our approach, companies, governments, investors, might have a different way...The future of AI will be built by those who combine innovation and responsibility, technology with humanity, and India and France will help to shape this future together," Macron said.
"India built something that no other country in the world has built. A digital identity for 1.4 billion people. A payment system that now processes 20 billion transactions every month. A health infrastructure that has issued 500 million digital health IDs. Here are the results. They call it the India Stack Open Interoperable Sovereign. That is what this summit is about. We are clearly at the beginning of a huge acceleration, and you perfectly described it during your interventions," he added.
India is hosting the event from February 16 to 20, centering the discussions around three core themes, or 'Sutras': People, Planet, and Progress.
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