Effects of generative AI use on minors: launch of an international call for scientific contributions (18 February 2026)

Anne Le Hénanff, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs, is announcing in New Delhi the launch of a call for international scientific contributions on the risks and vulnerabilities generated by general public uses of generative artificial intelligence with respect to minors.
At the “Protecting Children in the Age of AI” event held on Wednesday, 18 February under the French Presidency of the G7, in the margins of the India AI Impact Summit, Anne Le Hénanff, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs, presented France’s ambitions for the protection of children online and called for international action to address the new issues arising from generative AI.

At the Minister’s invitation, the panel organized by Clara Chappaz, Ambassador for Digital Affairs and Artificial Intelligence, was made up of Amit A Shukla, Joint Secretary of Cyber Diplomacy and E-Governance at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Frédéric Worms, Director of the École Normale Supérieure de Paris, Gaurav Aggrawal, Chief AI Scientist at Reliance Jio, Chair of EEG ISPIR, Adrien Abecassis, Policy Initiatives Director at the Paris Peace Forum.

The event aimed to include the protection of minors online in discussions on generative artificial intelligence available to the general public and to address the emerging risks from generative AI use by and for children.
The discussions and speakers’ contributions explored the emerging issues from generative artificial intelligence available to the general public, addressed the responsibility of AI creators and platforms, highlighted the engagement and tools developed by foundations and opened up a conversation on regulation issues and the need to establish common norms for AI.

Speaking before all the participants attending from the government, civil society, business and research sectors, the Minister highlighted recent progress made by France concerning the protection of children online, particularly the National Assembly’s passing of legislation to ban the access to social media for children under 15 and President Macron’s wish to establish an expert committee on the risks and vulnerabilities generated by general public uses of generative artificial intelligence.

Today, the Minister launched a call for international scientific contributions, the work and data of which will provide substance for the expert committee’s scientific reflection and for concrete recommendations. Their conclusions will be shared under the French Presidency of the G7.

The Minister and the Ambassador for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs called for action on the part of the international community to help bolster children’s safety online and draft a joint framework for protecting the most vulnerable.

Anne Le Hénanff, Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs, stated: “From New Delhi, we are launching a call for contributions to assess the risks and vulnerabilities generated by general public uses of generative artificial intelligence with respect to minors and to draft recommendations for better regulation. The conclusions will be shared under the French Presidency of the G7. France thus reaffirms a strong commitment to making the protection of children online an absolute priority by relying on science and international cooperation serving the public interest.”

Clara Chappaz, Ambassador for Digital Affairs and Artificial Intelligence, said: « Protecting children online is not only about screen and social networks anymore. With the intrusion of genAI chatbots in our children’s lives we’re changing the nature, the scale and the paradygm of the risks. We cannot afford to wait 15 years to fully understand the impact it has on their wellbeing and development. This is why we’re convening international expertise as part of France’s G7 Presidency to help assess the risks caused by genAI chatbots on children and build solid science-based recommandations”. »

Press contacts:

Private Office of Anne Le Hénanff: +33 (0)1 53 18 43 07 - presse at cabinets.numerique.gouv.fr
Economy and Finance Ministry’s Press Office: +33 (0)1 53 18 33 80 - presse.bercy at finances.gouv.fr
Spokesperson of the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs
+33 (0)1 0 1 43 17 - presse.dcp at diplomatie.gouv.fr