After its vote by the National Assembly, the law establishing the obligation for social networks to set up age verification for minors under 15 was adopted by the Senate with modifications.
Heavy fines can be imposed in case of breach, but the implementation of the law still questions.
Parental consent required
For several years, the question of access to social networks and their consultation by the youngest worries. With an average age of registration around 8 years old according to the CNIL, many countries are legislating. In France, the bill carried by the boss of the Horizons deputies, Laurent Marcangeli, has just been adopted at first reading by the Senate after the establishment of an accelerated procedure by the government. The two chambers will now try to agree on a common version which will then have to be promulgated.
This project will require TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter, or even Facebook to set up a certified system to verify the age of registrants and obtain the consent of at least one holder of parental authority for minors under 15 years old. Corresponding to the classic age of entry to high school and informed consent to the use of personal data, this law could also heavily penalize offenders. Thus, networks that do not apply this law would be liable to a fine of up to 1% of their annual worldwide turnover. As a reminder, Instagram had already paved the way by implementing a first parental control system in 2022.
However, the senators removed the provision concerning so-called labeled networks to which minors under 13 could have access subject to parental consent. On the other hand, the text provides the possibility for parents to request the suspension of an account for a child under 15, but also to require the activation of a time-of-use control option.
A ” essential safeguard but a complex implementation
For Alexandra Borchio Fontimp, LR MP for the Alpes-Maritimes, this text is essential to frame “ digital puberty and the power of the tools available to young people. As the age of subscriptions to networks recedes, this text would be part of a ” international awareness of the dangers that social networks can represent, especially for the youngest “, according to Annick Billon, centrist deputy.
However, several senators wondered about the means to be put in place to ensure that the platforms properly implement the provisions voted and that parents use them. The Senate has therefore established a commission of inquiry devoted to the study of the TikTok network. The results are expected by the end of the parliamentary session in June.
If the bill is definitively adopted, it could have a strong impact on the use of social networks by the youngest, a quarter of 7-10 year olds regularly consulting one. According to an IPSOS survey from the beginning of 2022, 40% of parents have already used spyware on their children’s devices. Be that as it may, the senators took the opportunity to explicitly exclude from the scope of the proposal all non-profit online encyclopedias (Wikipedia) as well as the various scientific and educational directories.
Source : Le Figaro
12