Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok,… children are more and more exposed on social networks. On average, a minor appears on 1,300 online photos/videos before the age of 13. And it is on the basis of this observation that a French deputy tabled a bill aimed at “guaranteeing respect for children’s image rights”.
Since the emergence of social networks, parents do not hesitate to post photos or videos of their children without asking for their consent. Some parents, who have become influencers, use the image of their darlings for advertising purposes for various advertisers.
In a study published in 2018, parents posted, on average, 1,300 photos and videos of their children on social media, before the age of 13. Among these hundreds of contents, some of them can be hijacked by child pornography platforms.
Read also – Parental control: how to protect your children on social networks?
Towards a law guaranteeing respect for the image rights of children in France?
To raise parents’ awareness of their children’s exposure to social networks, Bruno Studer (Renaissance MP for the Bas-Rhin department) is one of the politicians behind Bill No. 758 aimed at guaranteeing respect for children’s image rights which will be reviewed in March 2023.
In the reasons for the bill, the deputy indicates in particular that “the excessive exposure of children to the judgment of third parties on the internet and the race for likes and other appreciations can generate psychological problems, in particular in the acceptance of oneself and one’s image. Cyberbullying finds fertile ground there“.
This bill, which comes almost a year and a half after the announcement of a free app to facilitate reporting of cyberbullying in France, could put an end to the conflicts existing within couples, mainly when the parents are not agree on the issue of exposing children on social networks.
Finally, if the children feel that their own parents have violated their privacy, they may demand damages. In France, article 226-1 of the criminal code provides for one year’s imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros. the fact, by means of any process whatsoever, of intentionally infringing the intimacy of the private life of another.
Source : News France 2
