Putin urged to take social networks under control so that there are no demonstrations, as in France, the country should "influence" the work of social networks in the interests of security, said Russian President Vladimir Putin, referring to representatives of African countries who arrived in Moscow for the Russian-African summit. As a justification for strengthening the government's control of social networks, some of which are already blocked in Russia, he recalled the protests in France, where hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets for several weeks, demanding an end to the standard of living and the rise in prices. The French leadership also points out that the events that take place in large French cities are influenced by social networks that are not sovereign for France, and are not in France. They have little or no influence on the country's social networks. But I think it will be true if we all influence it and think about security issues," Putin said. How exactly this effect should be revealed, the president did not specify. The announcement comes just days after authorities proposed restricting social media in Russia to children under 14. Follow @moscowtimes ru buy a trusted VPN.