MEPs are taking matters into their own hands to protect children from the abuses that social networks can cause. They adopted measures on Monday to protect children's privacy in the digital world. The bill on the image rights of minors, carried by the Macronist deputy Bruno Studer (Renaissance), was voted in 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 some parents exposing them without restraint, especially on social networks. An approach called "sharenting", contraction of "parenting" and "share" in English.

"Privacy" of the child

MP Studer's text introduces the notion of the child's "private life" into the definition of parental authority in 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 to a third party the exercise of the child's right to the image. This law aims to "empower parents", but also to show minors that "parents do not have an absolute right to their image", argued the MP.

Half of the images end up on child pornography forums

According to figures cited by parliamentarians, a child appears on average "on 1,300 photographs published online before the age of 13" and "50% of the photographs that are exchanged on child pornography forums were initially published by parents on their social networks".


Associations denounce abuses, such as those of family "vlogs" (video blogs) run by parents racing for "likes" by exposing their children, in search of some advertising revenue, sometimes with degrading staging. Some images can lead to "cyberbullying" or "compromise their credibility for future school or professional applications", said Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti who supported the text "with strength and conviction".

  • Tech
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  • Child protection
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  • Privacy