The President of France, Margaux, has recently indicated that France will study the impact of violent video games and AI chat robots on children and is promoting legislation prohibiting the use of social media by minors under the age of 15. In his view, obsession with such games could lead to normalization of violence and eventually lead young people to the path of crime.
In an interview with Brut, Marlon said: “When players spend 5-6 hours a day killing people in games, they continue to use violence. It is clear that this will have a certain impact on them. When they get in trouble in reality, they will be completely out of control and even cause terrible extreme events.” According to Marlon, the game of violence “makes people’s relationship with violence unrealistic and creates a conditional reflection”. He had asked the experts to study the impact of the violence game before discussing the possibility of a ban in May and June this year. Previously, Marlon had been controversial because he had attributed part of the summer riots of 2023 to the game, and he then clarified that his criticism pointed to violence per se rather than to the game.
In addition to the game, Marlon has instructed experts to study the impact of AI chat robots on young users. He noted that many adolescents were using such AI to obtain advice and guidance. He added that, at the French and European Union levels, there was a need for a clear indication of what AI generated. In his interview, Marlon stressed that “social media is harmful to people under 15 years of age, and that it causes trauma and pain, and you are not ready to face it”. Last week, the French National Assembly passed a bill prohibiting the use of social media by children under 15 years of age, which will be submitted to the Senate for consideration. Throughout Europe, at least 10 countries, including Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Denmark, Greece, Norway, Poland, Austria, Ireland and the Netherlands, as well as the European Union, are weighing similar restrictions, which could lead to a new round of confrontations with technology giants such as Meta (Instagram, Facebook), Snap, X (tweet), TikTok, and Google YouTube.
In practice, it is difficult to prevent minors from using such social platforms. The age validation process, which usually involves sharing sensitive documents such as driving licences or passports through third-party services, may open the door to cyberattacks or data misuse. In response, Marlon stated in an interview that the age validation process conducted by a third party was safe.
