MEPs vote to ban social media for under 15s without parental consent Platforms must implement place identity verification system approved by the authorities. Any violation will be subject to severe sanctions Finally! While concerns about the use of social media by the youngest have intensified in recent weeks, this Thursday, March 2, MPs voted for a law aimed at regulating their use. The National Assembly voted in the first reading to introduce a requirement for platforms to verify the age of their users. If the text introduced in 2018 was already meant to protect the smallest, it was too easy for the platforms to follow. As evidence, social media is generally banned for children under 13, but first registration “occurs on average around 8 and a half years old, and according to Cnil, more than half of 10-14-year-olds are there.”
Mandatory parental consent
Thus, the new law is more stringent and will oblige the platforms to comply with the requirements of the authorities. Thus, the text states that TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and others place ” solution technique age verification of end users and consent of parental rights holders” for persons under 15 years of age. This decision must be certified by the authorities. If a child under 15 is already registered on the platforms and their parents want to unsubscribe, they have the right to do so. Platforms will have to comply with their request.
Complete ban for children under 13
For users under the age of 13, the text provides for a complete ban, with the exception of “flagged platforms.” Even with consent parents, so access to social networks for children under 13 will be prohibited. And beware of platforms that don’t play the game. In order to enforce the rules, the Assembly has provided tough sanctions. Companies that do not comply with these new rules will have to pay a fine of up to 1% of their global turnover.
Protect the young
This text aims to better regulate the use of social media by the youngest as abuses increase. On TikTok, some people indulge, for example, challenges put in danger their physical integrity. Research has also shown over the years that excessive use of social media can have serious psychological consequences for some teenagers. The constant connection with the school environment also contributed to the bullying. Finally, social networks also expose the youngest sexual predators who have been able to adopt the codes of these platforms. This law is part of a larger movement for shutdown and accountability. A few days ago, TikTok announced, for example, the implementation place one hour daily limit for persons under 18 years of age.
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