Towards a “loss of authority” for parents who expose their children too much on social networks?

How would a parent react if their right to post a photo of their child on social media was revoked? ? Although the idea may seem preposterous, it is currently being seriously considered by Emmanuel Macron’s government. The objective of this “loss of authority” ? Protect young people from overexposure on social networks and thus indirectly combat the risks of cyberharassment, but not only that.

At a time when artificial intelligence is capable of generating text but also music or even reproducing the image of a person identically, it is important to pay attention to the content that is freely made available to malicious Internet users. Indeed, images posted on social networks can easily be retrieved and posted on child pornography sites. So to limit abuses and protect the youngest, it is first necessary to raise awareness among parents.

Fight against digital abuses

This is the whole point of the series of debates and discussions which took place this Monday, October 2, 2023, on the occasion of the eleventh edition of Cybermois organized at the Cyber ​​Campus. “Today, a parent can no longer avoid digital technology in the exercise of parental authority”declared Charlotte Caubel, Secretary of State to the Prime Minister, responsible for Children, during a round table dedicated to cybersecurity.

Charlotte Caubel defends a bill to guarantee respect for children’s image rights, an idea supported by Bruno Studer (Renaissance) which must soon be presented to the National Assembly. “A parent who abuses the image of their children, […] could be deprived of the specific exercise of digital parental authority, […] no longer being able to manage the digital image of his children himself”, summarized Charlotte Caubel during the event. A way for the Secretary of State to include parents more on digital issues that concern their child.

Beyond the harm caused to the child when an image of him is shared on social networks, the risk of seeing the content reused on child pornography sites, or even diverted by artificial intelligence algorithms also worries the government which wishes to fight against these digital excesses. The behavior of certain influencers who use their children’s images on social networks is also in the government’s crosshairs.

A journalist passionate about social issues and current affairs, Hugo puts his pen at the service of information. Interested in all themes, from the impact of artificial intelligence on…