It’s like a fan zone for football, but in the “famzone” we talk about the risks of the Internet. We are not meeting for the match of the year, but to welcome parents and children for discussions in order to learn how to protect themselves on the Internet and especially on one of young people’s favorite platforms, Instagram. From Thursday, November 30 until Sunday, December 3, on the square in front of Gare Saint-Lazare, Ile-de-France residents will be able to discuss and meet experts in order to be made aware of the risks present on social networks and educate themselves on the tools available online.
From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., the Meta group promises “concrete solutions” for four days for worried parents and inexperienced children. Because we cannot deny it, every teenager who receives their first phone is not necessarily capable of protecting themselves online. “We are very happy to come and meet families to show them the protection tools they can already use on Instagram. I hope that each family who passes through the door of the FamZone feels listened to, understood and leaves with the keys they need to implement the solutions adapted to their challenges”, rejoices Capucine Tuffier, responsible for the protection of childhood at Meta France.
A useful prevention given the large proportion of young people on Instagram. In France, according to Statista, 84% of 16-25 year olds claimed to use the platform, an increase of 20 points in five years. It would even be used more than TikTok and Snapchat. If according to a survey by the Diplomeo site, many young people (70%) find the majority of fun on Instagram, the platform also causes “negative feelings”. Loss of self-confidence (17%), sadness (16%), hatred (13%) or even despair and anxiety (10%). According to the same study, 12% say they have been victims of cyberharassment on social networks. Faced with this observation, Instagram is finally trying to respond to the proverb “prevention is better than cure”.