Source: Health Policy Watch

A joint declaration from the French government and the World Health Organization demands urgent digital governance and systemic platform regulation to protect children from algorithmic harms, calling youth online safety a global public health crisis. The statement highlights that poorly governed online environments can harm physical and mental development and identifies platform features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, and push notifications as increasing the risk of addictive behaviour. Macron and WHO Director‑General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also warn that unregulated digital marketing exposes adolescents to harmful products, a concern public health advocates say mirrors tactics used by tobacco, alcohol and sugary drink industries.

The declaration stresses precautionary, “pro-child” design approaches rather than framing safety measures as anti-innovation and calls for transparent data sharing, age-appropriate design, and stronger safety-by-design standards enforced through independent longitudinal research and strict corporate accountability. It situates the demand amid growing legal and regulatory pressure—citing a $375 million judgment against Meta in New Mexico and European Union investigations under the Digital Services Act—and records technology firms’ rebuttals pointing to teen-specific settings. Independent researchers and early BMJ evidence are said to show widespread circumvention of age limits (over 85% of teenagers) and continued high daily screen time, prompting the leaders to argue that national age bans alone are insufficient without safer digital infrastructure.