Macron warns social media poses threat to democracy, governance

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that social media is becoming a threat to democracy and the effective governance of the country.

Speaking during a meeting with readers of La Dépêche, livestreamed on his X page, Macron said, “Social media is changing how we form public opinion, how elections are conducted, and, consequently, our democratic life… I intend to pursue concrete measures to address the problems posed by social media.”

Macron indicated that decisive actions to limit social media influence will be taken at the start of 2026. Among the potential measures, he mentioned the introduction of age restrictions for access to social media platforms.

The French president also did not rule out the possibility of personally stepping away from certain social media platforms, including X, if they fail to meet regulatory standards. “This is something I think about a lot, believe me, and I do not entirely exclude it,” Macron said, adding that such a decision would not be immediate.

By Vugar Khalilov