The French Parliament has definitively approved the obligation for social networks to verify the age of their users and obtain parental authorization when they are under 15, after the final vote of the Senate.
More social networks without parental consent: Parliament on Thursday approved a bill that requires platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram to verify the age of their users and obtain parental consent if they are under 15 years.
After receiving final approval from the National Assembly the day before, the bill was unanimously approved by the Senate on Thursday. It is the final adoption of the text presented by Laurent Marcangeli, leader of the Horizontes deputies (presidential allies), which was examined in a climate of consensus in the two chambers.
Its date of entry into force will be set by decree, after an opinion has been delivered by the European Commission on its compliance with Community law. Social networks will then have one year to comply with their obligations regarding new registrations.
“Rest assured that we will ensure that this text can be implemented as soon as possible”, promised Jean-Noël Barrot, the French Minister for the Digital Transition, qualifying it as a “historic” act.
From pornography to cyberbullying, from inaccessible canons of beauty to addictive means of attracting attention, MEPs outlined the risks young people need to be protected from.
The 15-year-old digital age to which the bill refers was introduced in France in 2018 in application of European legislation, which left the possibility of setting it between 13 and 16 years old.
However, this threshold refers more broadly to the age below which parental consent is required for the processing of a minor’s personal data. Above all, it is not really applied and has had no impact on minors’ access to social networks.
What penalties?
In theory, social networks are not open to children under the age of 13. But the average age of the first recording is around eight and a half years, and more than half of children between 10 and 14 years old are present, according to data from the National Commission for Computing and Liberties (CNIL).
Faced with this situation, the text adopted introduces the obligation for social networks to verify the age of users and to obtain “the authorization of one of the holders of parental authority” for minors under 15. years.
They will also have to use “technical solutions that comply with a series of guidelines” drawn up by the Audiovisual Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom).
The absence so far of a unanimous system was underlined several times during the discussions, but MEPs felt that this should not prevent them from sending a clear signal.
Parental consent will also need to be obtained for accounts under 15, a requirement that will come into effect two years after the law.
In the event of non-compliance, social networks will be exposed to a fine of up to 1% of the company’s worldwide turnover.
The mother of all battles
The text also allows the holder of parental authority to request the suspension of the account of a minor under the age of 15. And it forces the networks to activate a system to control the usage time of minors.
The text “will not be enough on its own to put an end to abuses”, admitted its promoter, Laurent Marcangeli, on Wednesday, who called for “advances in age verification techniques and massive investments in digital education parents, children and teachers”.
The objective is “not to deprive young people of access to a social network, but to provide an adequate response to the excesses resulting from early and unsupervised use”, underlined Alexandra Borchio Fontimp (LR), rapporteur of the text in the Senate. THURSDAY. .
These new provisions are part of a series of initiatives on the presidential side.
A text aimed at protecting children’s image rights on social networks was recently adopted at first reading by the two chambers, which have yet to come up with a common version. The Assembly also adopted at first reading in March measures against the overexposure of children to screens.
On behalf of the Executive, the Government will defend in the Senate from July 4 a bill aimed at “securing and regulating the digital space”. It will include measures to require porn websites to verify that their users are over 18.
“Age verification” is the mother of all battles,” Barrot insisted on Thursday.
Source: Latercera
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