Durov Criticizes EU Leaders: They Have Very Low Approval Ratings

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has criticized the leaders of several European countries for their initiatives to impose restrictions on social media usage for children. According to Durov, France's President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who support such bans, have simultaneously very low public approval ratings.

He noted that those officials with the lowest ratings in the world are more actively promoting ideas around limiting social media for teenagers and combating 'disinformation'. Durov emphasized that such approaches do not address underlying issues and could negatively impact freedom of speech and opportunities for youth self-expression in the digital environment.