Macron pushes child-focused social media and AI rules as G7 priority
Macron elevates youth protection to the centre of G7 work
French leadership is steering the upcoming G7 agenda toward tighter safeguards for young internet users, reframing child safety as a multilateral policy priority rather than only a national concern. This repositioning signals intent to convert domestic priorities into collective commitments during France’s rotating presidency.
The president used a high-profile AI forum in India to widen the diplomatic conversation and to invite partners to collaborate on shared rules. India was singled out as an interlocutor, indicating Paris wants a broader coalition beyond traditional G7 membership.
Policy levers under consideration include stricter content moderation, enhanced age-verification mechanisms, and rules that address automated harms from machine learning systems. These measures aim to reduce exposure of minors to exploitative or otherwise illegal material across platforms.
- Build cross-country consensus on minimum safety standards for children online.
- Engage major platforms to raise moderation and transparency expectations.
- Use the G7 presidency to draft coordinated approaches for AI-related risks affecting youth.
If adopted, coordinated G7 guidance could accelerate legislative and enforcement activity in jurisdictions that follow block-level norms. Tech companies may face amplified pressure to harmonize safety tools and reporting across markets.
This push reflects a global pattern where governments are tightening digital governance, especially where automated systems intersect with vulnerable populations. Expect negotiations to involve tradeoffs between privacy, free expression, and platform responsibility.
For civil society and industry, the short term will focus on consultation and technical alignment; longer-term work will require measurable compliance frameworks. The political timeline points to concrete proposals during the 2026 G7 calendar and follow-on coordination thereafter.
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