The subject is topical, between the regular awareness-raising actions on revenge porn and the increasingly publicized school cyberbullying cases. In mid-December, journalist Salomé Saqué exhibited in turn
on LCP the dangers that pornography posed to teenagers, between influencing dangerous practices and normalizing sexual violence. The National Assembly therefore took up the problem by unanimously voting on a bill presented by LREM deputy Bruno Studer.
This text wants to oblige manufacturers of connected devices to include free and easy-to-use parental control, devices that are still too little known or used. Parents might then choose whether or not to activate this tool installed by default, when the device is first put into service. Computers, smartphones, tablets, televisions, connected watches, video game consoles would be affected, but not the boxes of telecom operators and home automation.
“At the age of 12, nearly one in three children has been exposed to pornography”
“It is a prevention law which cannot do everything” but wants to “provide tools to help parents exercise their responsibilities”, underlined Bruno Studer. “At the age of 12, nearly one child in three has been exposed to pornography,” declared the Secretary of State for Children, Adrien Taquet, to illustrate the risks of the Internet among the youngest. “A child alone in his room with a smartphone can be in more danger than if he were walking alone in a park in the evening”, added Alexandra Louis (Agir group, majority) during the debates.
Sign of a certain feeling of necessity around this text in the Assembly, the opposition also welcomed its adoption. Virginie Duby-Muller (LR) was pleased to see this text tackle a “major social subject”, Maud Petit (MoDem) stressing that it allowed the French Parliament to have a “pioneer” role. Muriel Ressiguier (LFI) also welcomed this text but felt that we might “go further”, with for example a possibility of “limiting publications on social networks”.
Several amendments were adopted during the meeting to strengthen the information of manufacturers to users, or to seek the opinion of the CNIL on the decree establishing the terms of the device. The text, which had already received unanimous support during its passage in committee, must now be examined in the Senate.
