Paris:  In the midst of a significant uprising following the death of a 17-year-old at the hands of law enforcement, French President Emmanuel Macron has argued that social media platforms and video games contributed to fueling riots across the nation. 

After an urgent security meeting on Friday to address the ongoing riots, Macron said that about one-third of those detained over the previous three nights were "young or very young," suggesting that the internet is having a negative impact on kids and teenagers.

He attributed the unrest to "platforms and networks, which are playing a significant role in the events of recent days." "We've seen platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, and others be used to organise violent gatherings, but there's also a form of mimicry,"

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The president continued, saying that kids were acting out "the video games that have intoxicated them" on the streets, and he urged parents to keep their kids home.

Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister, said earlier that the government had warned social media sites not to post content glorifying the riots or calling for violence. In the event that social networks—regardless of who they are—are found to be breaking the law, he vowed to "take all necessary measures." A shutdown of some public transport was also mandated by the minister because they were being targeted by vandals. 

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Tuesday night, riots broke out in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, after Nahel M., a 17-year-old pizza delivery driver, was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop. A call for "vengeance" from the mother of the teenager resulted in the officer in question being arrested and charged with murder.

Through the course of the week, the unrest and looting grew more severe and spread to other significant cities, including Marseille, a port city on the Mediterranean coast, where rioters reportedly ransacked a gun store. Social media posts claim that several police stations were also attacked. 

The average age of the 917 people who have been detained by the police thus far, according to Darmanin on Friday, is just 17.

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Two significant police unions have called for a crackdown on the "wild horde" of protesters, claiming that the 45,000 officers who have been deployed to put an end to the disturbances are waging a "war" on the government's behalf. They continued by stating that if authorities failed to reestablish order, law enforcement would turn into "the resistance."

According to Macron, who was also compelled to leave an EU summit in Brussels early because of the unrest, rioters had started nearly 4,000 fires as of Friday afternoon, destroyed more than 2,000 cars, and damaged about 500 buildings.