Macron Says AI Should Be Banned Where It Harms Children
The French president wants limits on AI and certain social networks for minors, with a charter to be adopted at the Paris Peace Forum.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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French President Emmanuel Macron said artificial intelligence should be banned where it poses risks to children's mental health. A charter on regulating AI and its impact on children will be adopted at the Paris Peace Forum, with OpenAI and Anthropic expected to take part.
Why it matters
The proposal could shape national and European legislative debates on AI and youth protection. Macron said Europe will push for the Americans and Canadians to follow with similar regulation.
Under the charter, research labs will commit to independent evaluations of generative AI systems placed on the market, and companies will accept pre-audit and pre-certification with prior review of models before they reach children. The specific technical thresholds for these evaluations have not been detailed.
The players
Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron is the President of France, who has pushed for limits on AI and certain social networks to protect children.
OpenAI
OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research company known for developing the ChatGPT chatbot and related generative AI systems.
Anthropic
Anthropic is an artificial intelligence company that develops the Claude family of AI models and is expected to join the charter.
The details
Macron made the comments in an interview with Les Echos and brought together officials and industry figures in a videoconference. The CEOs of OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral and Microsoft took part, along with the British, Canadian, Norwegian, Dutch and Japanese prime ministers. The charter is intended to inform national and European legislative debates.
Timeline
Tuesday: Expert committee due to present AI protection recommendations to Macron.
November 10, 2026: Charter on AI and children to be adopted at the Paris Peace Forum.
The Tech Race
The proposal fits into a broader European effort to set rules for artificial intelligence, a push that Macron said Europe will advance while urging the Americans and Canadians to follow. It positions European regulators as seeking to shape global AI standards alongside leading U.S. developers such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
If adopted, the charter would require AI systems to undergo independent evaluation and pre-certification before reaching children, which could affect which AI tools young users can access. Proposed restrictions on social networks for those under 15 could also change how younger users access online platforms.
The takeaway
Parents and educators should watch for the charter's final measures, since they may determine which AI tools children can use and under what safeguards. Staying informed about national and European legislative debates will show how these rules take shape.
What happens next
An expert committee is due to present its AI protection recommendations to Macron on Tuesday, and the AI and children charter is slated for adoption at the Paris Peace Forum on November 10, 2026.
Further reading
For broader context on how governments are setting rules for these systems, see our Artificial Intelligence coverage.
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Should AI be banned wherever it poses a risk to children's mental health?
