Macron Calls for Ban on AI That Threatens Children's Mental Health
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a ban on artificial intelligence applications that threaten children's mental health and for models to undergo pre-screening before being made available to children.
In a statement on November 9, 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron said that artificial intelligence technologies that pose a risk to children's mental health and cognitive development should be banned.
Speaking to the newspaper Les Echos ahead of the Paris Peace Forum, Macron stated that AI applications that pose a threat to children's mental health or brain development should be banned. Advocating for access restrictions to certain social media platforms for individuals under 15, Macron demanded that high-risk AI uses not be permitted.
In line with these developments, a committee of experts will present a recommendation report on protecting children from AI on Tuesday. Subsequently, it is planned that research laboratories will join a commitment providing access to independent evaluations and model data, while companies will be expected to accept pre-screening and certification processes before offering models to children.
Addressing the international security dimension of the issue, Macron held a video conference meeting with approximately 50 participants, including leaders from countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, and Japan, as well as the CEOs of OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and Microsoft.
Sources
- lemonde.fr · Link