PM Modi backs Emmanuel Macron's call to restrict social media use by children

New Delhi: French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called on India to work with France to make the internet and social media a safe space for children, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi echoing it during his address at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

“Our platforms, governments, and regulators should be working together to make the internet and social media a safe space. This is why, in France, we are embarking on a process to ban social networks for children under 15 years old,” said Macron while delivering the keynote address on Day 4 of the summit.

“We are committed in this journey with several European countries present here today, (including) Greece and Spain. I know, Mr Prime Minister, you will join this club. This is great news that India will join such an approach in order to protect children and teenagers. We stand ready to take all necessary actions to ensure that our young citizens are truly safe," he said, referring to Modi.

“One of our priorities during the G-7 presidency will be children’s protection against AI and digital-related abuse,” he said. France holds the presidency of the G-7 in 2026.

Emphasising the importance of child safety, Modi said during his address: “We must become even more vigilant about children’s safety. Just as a school syllabus is carefully curated, the AI space too must be child-safe and family-guided.”

Macron further said that in the face of increasing geopolitical tensions, there was a growing sense of urgency to direct all digital tools towards an inclusive approach, and that India and France would jointly work to build a framework for AI by combining innovation with responsibility and technology with humanity.

He said France and India shared a common vision for developing a "sovereign AI" to protect the planet and foster prosperity for all.

Macron also criticised social-media companies and their technology executives, saying they falsely presented themselves as champions of free speech.

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday that the government was holding discussions on “the right way to go forward” with possible age limits for social media, and was also addressing the issue of deepfakes with platforms.