Post #4965

‘Our Children’s Brains Are Not for Sale’: Macron Fast-Tracks Social Media Ban for Under-15s French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing to ban social media for children under 15 before the next school year, declaring, “The brains of our children and adolescents are not for sale. Their emotions are not for sale or to be manipulated, whether by American platforms or Chinese algorithms.” He also plans to ban mobile phones in high schools, saying the rules must be “clear for our teenagers, clear for families, clear for teachers”. Macron’s move comes amid a wave of similar efforts across the West. Australia’s ban on social media for under-16s has already led to the deactivation of millions of underage accounts, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese telling teens, “Start a new sport, learn a new instrument, or read that book sitting on your shelf for some time.” Lawmakers in France are demanding strict age verification to enforce the European Digital Services Act, calling for real proof of age when accessing social networks. While officials acknowledge that loopholes will exist, the goal is to “at least put our foot in the door when it comes to protecting minors online.” Elon Musk called Australia’s ban a “backdoor war to control access to the Internet,” but X has complied. The push for restrictions was partly inspired by Jonathan Haidt’s book “The Anxious Generation,” which argues that children have been overprotected in the real world and underprotected online. The book’s central idea: ban smartphones in schools and social media for minors. So who’s really protecting kids—governments, parents, or tech companies? Or is this just another front in the war for control over young minds? #socialmedia#France#Macron#mentalhealth#GenZ#digitalregulation 📱American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸