From July 13, all manufacturers of digital products will have to install parental control devices on all devices used by children. A protective measure that is far from unanimous…
To combat cyberbullying, children’s addiction to social networks and their exposure to pornography or sensitive or violent content online, the Government adopted in 2022 the law of MP Bruno Studer (Renaissance), aimed at strengthening parental control over means of accessing the Internet. This law makes it mandatory to install by default – but not to activate by default – parental control software on all digital devices used by children and adolescents, namely smartphones, computers, digital tablets, televisions and game consoles (see our article). Despite attacks from all sides, it should apply from July 13, the date on which manufacturers will have to comply with the new legislation. This was far from a given because, as reported by The Informedthe union of leisure software publishers – which defends the interests of video game publishers such as Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo – as well as the French Alliance of Digital Industries – which represents a large part of GAFAM in France – have long fought at the Council of State to prevent the establishment of this system. But the latter finally issued an opinion, which contradicts the arguments of the plaintiffs.
Mandatory parental control: a measure that does not meet with unanimous approval
Despite complaints and concerns about the lack of precision of the decree and the creation of a Franco-French software gas factory, the Council of State gave its authorization for the application of the law, considering that the control mechanisms are implemented locally on the device and that these tools work in favor of child protection.
Concretely, manufacturers will have to, by next week, install a parental control system and offer the user its activation when the devices are first put into service. Afterwards, it will still be up to parents to decide whether or not to activate these solutions to protect their children.
Mandatory Parental Controls: Tools to Monitor and Restrict Children
The National Frequency Agency (ANFR) will be responsible for monitoring compliance with this constraint by manufacturers. If it finds any shortcomings, it will then be able to “formally order the economic operator concerned to take all appropriate corrective measures to bring the equipment into compliance, withdraw it from the market or recall it within a period that it determines”If the manufacturer does not comply with the formal notice within the time limit, ANFR may impose an administrative fine on it.
This law should make it easier for users to set up parental control services and software. In fact, there are already a good number of them, such as Family Safety, the free Microsoft tool integrated as standard in Windows (see our practical guide), Family Link, the Google mobile application, or directly integrated into streaming platforms or social networks. However, you have to look for these functions in the settings or take the time to install a dedicated application. The new terms will therefore make it easier to apply parental control, by allowing you to manage screen time limitation or content blocking settings from the first use of the device. Good news then!