Concern about the frantic use of social networks by young people continues to grow. While the Chief Medical Officer of the United States launched an appeal on Tuesday, believing that these platforms can have “extremely harmful effects” on the mental health of young people, the subject ended up in the Senate in France. The upper house has passed a mandatory parental agreement for children under 15.
A decision that comes as the first registration to a social network would occur on average around 8 and a half years and that more than a quarter of 7-10 year olds regularly visit social networks, according to the National Commission for Computing and Freedoms (CNIL). But what is it? How to set it up? 20 minutes looked into the subject for you.
What does the bill contain?
This bill is carried by the boss of the deputies Horizons Laurent Marcangeli. It establishes the obligation for social networks “to put in place a technical solution for verifying the age of end users and the consent of holders of parental authority” for those under 15 years old. This “solution” will have to be certified by the authorities.
This age corresponds to entering high school and the age at which a minor can consent alone to the processing of his personal data, recalls the rapporteur Alexandra Borchio Fontimp (LR). The text also allows holders of parental authority to request the suspension of the account of a child under 15 years of age.
What changes were introduced by the Senate?
The bill was first studied by the National Assembly, which made some modifications. As for the senators, they also applied their wishes such as the clarification that the authorization of a single holder of parental authority will be necessary, on the initiative of the rapporteur Alexandra Borchio Fontimp. The parliamentarians passed a socialist amendment requiring networks to activate a device to control the time of use when registering a minor.
The provision relating to “labelled” networks to which children under 13 could have had access with the agreement of the parents, introduced in the Assembly despite the unfavorable opinion of the government, has been deleted. On the other hand, the Senate explicitly excluded from the scope of the bill “non-profit online encyclopedias”, such as Wikipedia, and “educational and scientific directories”.
What next?
The government having initiated the accelerated procedure on this text, deputies and senators will now try to agree on a common version. If this bill is adopted, social networks will therefore have to implement these tools for the protection of minors on their applications. In the event of a breach, a fine may be imposed on the company, up to 1% of its worldwide turnover. For the rapporteur, Alexandra Borchio Fontimp, this text “is an essential safeguard against the growing precocity of digital puberty and the power of the tools made available to young people”.
It “is part of a general and international awareness of the danger that social networks can represent, especially for the youngest”, supported the centrist Annick Billon. This initiative comes at a time when concern about the safety of children on social networks is constantly increasing. According to an Ipsos survey published in early 2022, four out of ten parents have already used spying software on their child. Studies show that the use of social networks by minors can promote the appearance of depressive symptoms and eating disorders.