Macron vows to ‘take back control’ of youth screen use to fight disinformation

Emmanuel Macron proposed during a press conference at the Élysée Palace on Tuesday (16 January) new rules for decreasing youth screen time in a bid to prevent the spreading of conspiracy theories online.

For the second time since Macron was first elected in 2017, the president held a press conference with hundreds of journalists at the Élysée Palace, where he detailed his politics and priorities.

“If we have got teenagers and future citizens whose relationship with the truth has been wrongly constructed or built through social media, the line between truth and falsehood is blurred. There’ll be a generation of conspiracy theorists!” warned Macron.

The French President announced that the government will decide on potential “prohibitions” and “restrictions” for underage people based on a commission report of experts that will be delivered in March.

Based on the “scientific consensus” delivered in the report, the president wishes to continue fighting school bullying, pornography exposure and wrong usages of technology.

Referring to the EU regulation on content moderation, the Digital Services Act (DSA), whose text was agreed upon during the 2022 French rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, Macron said: “Europe is leading on this issue. […] content providers have been made accountable.”

The French president underscored two laws he considers complementary to children’s protection. He mentioned the 2018 French law forbidding the use of smartphones inside schools and the 2022 law, which obliges the pre-installation of parental control software on connected devices sold in France.

July 2023’s riots

Coming back to the riotous period France experienced in July 2023 after the online spread of a video showing a policeman shoot and allegedly kill 17-year-old Nahel M., Macron said: “Screens played a very important role that we had never seen before.”

“In a few minutes, we experienced the unfolding of hundreds of actions and arranged appointments on various social networks through screens. There was a kind of mimicry that led to an utterly unreasonable ignition.”

Analysing the period, Macron said he saw a conjunction of issues, including urban renovation, education, access to culture, sports, economic opportunities, integration, idleness, and poverty.

He neither mentioned his proposition to block social media during crises nor member of parliament Paul Midy’s proposition to end online anonymity, both of which were highly criticised at the time.

Invest in the youth

To this end, Macron repeatedly said that “order and progress” make a fairer society.

“The republican promise is that of equal opportunities,” he continued, saying he would work with his government to deepen access to culture and sports further but also change people’s mentalities so that everyone feels like engaging with culture and sports.

Macron further developed how to invest in the youth. He plans to reinforce “civic instruction” courses, improve arts, artistic and cultural classes and create a diploma award ceremony, a “ritual of the Republic’s unity.”

The president did not mention digital education, digital awareness or cyber-hygiene courses in this plan for the youth.

Asked by the audience if he did not feel like his politics could seem outdated, he answered: “I do not think symbolism is old-fashioned.”

[Edited by Luca Bertuzzi/Alice Taylor]

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