France steps up online protection for children

France accepted new law protecting children in the digital space. According to the law, social platforms such as TikTokare required to verify the age of their users and obtain parental consent to register persons under 15 years of age.

The new legislation is part of the government’s strategy to reduce screen time for children and combat cyberbullying and other online threats.

Despite the approval of the law in the Senate, the exact date of its entry into force remains unknown. In particular, the European Commission should check whether the law complies with EU standards. After that, sites will be given 1 year to adapt to the new rules for new subscribers and another 2 years to establish control over existing accounts.

Pornography, cyberbullying, idealized beauty standards and addiction to social platforms are major concerns for lawmakers, all of which pose a particular threat to teens.

According to the Commission on Technology and Freedom (CNIL), despite the theoretical restriction of access to social networks for people under 13, some children have been registered on the platforms since the age of 8, and more than half of children aged 10-14 actively use Snapchat and Instagram* .

The new law not only strengthens control over the age of users, but also provides parents with tools to manage their children’s accounts. Social networks that violate these provisions will face fines of up to 1% of their global revenue.

The new measures replace a series of bills aimed at protecting children in the digital world, including against abuse of their images on social media. It is also expected to consider a law to regulate access to porn sites and mandatory verification of the age of users.

* The Meta company and its products (Instagram and Facebook) are recognized as extremist, their activities are prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.