The bill on the image rights of minors, carried by the Macronist deputy Bruno Studer (Renaissance), was voted on at first reading unanimously in a consensual climate, far from the virulent debates on pensions.
The text, which must now be examined by the Senate, aims to protect children from the excesses of certain parents exposing them without restraint, in particular on social networks.
The deputies also began in the evening the examination of a second text, carried by another elected representative of the presidential camp, Caroline Janvier, to make adults aware of the risks of excessive exposure of the youngest to screens.
Last Thursday, the Assembly turned to social networking platforms when it voted at first reading on the obligation for TikTok, Snapchat or other Instagrams to verify the age of their users as well as the agreement parental for the registration of children under 15 years old.
These different initiatives “constitute a legal arsenal which will make it possible to complete the mechanisms for protecting children online”welcomed the Secretary of State for Children, Charlotte Caubel.
No “absolute right”
The text of the deputy Studer adopted Monday introduces the concept of “private life” of the child in the definition of parental authority of the civil code.
It specifies that the image rights of minors are exercised jointly by both parents. In case of disagreement, the judge may prohibit one of them from publishing images of the child.
In serious situations, the way is even open “to a forced delegation of parental authority”allowing a judge to entrust a third party with the exercise of the child’s image rights.
This law aims to “empowering parents”but also to show minors that “Parents do not have an absolute right over their image”argued Mr. Studer.
According to figures quoted by parliamentarians, a child appears on average “out of 1,300 photographs published online before the age of 13” et “50% of the photographs that are exchanged on child pornography forums were initially published by the parents on their social networks”.
Associations denounce abuses, such as those of family “vlogs” (video blogs) kept by parents racing for “likes” by exposing their children, some in search of revenue, sometimes with degrading staging.
Some images may lead to “cyber harassment” or “compromising their credibility for academic or professional applications” future, underlined the Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti who supported the text “with strength and conviction”.
“Evil of the century”
The second text, whose examination should resume on Tuesday, deals with the overexposure to screens of children up to 6 years old, a “ill of the century still largely underestimated by those around young children” according to MP Caroline Janvier.
His bill provides for the inclusion in the public health code of risk training for health and early childhood professionals, and the insertion of prevention messages on the packaging of computers, tablets and telephones.
It also provides that early childhood structures and schools incorporate restrictive rules for the use of screens for supervisors.
For parents, the text asks for the insertion of recommendations on proper use in the pregnancy diary.
Excess screen is a “large-scale phenomenon“, with some “increased risk of obesity”of “sleeping troubles” et “high blood pressure”alerted Ms. Janvier.
LFI and LR deputies deplored that the measures are only targeted at the youngest children. Amendments asking to ban tablets in places of reception of young children have been rejected.
This text “makes it possible to raise awareness even more and even earlier of children and parents, in the Maternal and Child Protection services (PMI), in schools or kindergartens, but also in outdoor centers or during extracurricular activities“, said Ms. Caubel.