It is now done. The text of the law concerning the obligation to integrate a parental control system on smartphones and PCs sold in France has just been definitively adopted by the National Assembly. However, there remains a final examination in the Senate (a formality) before its entry into force.
As you may know, the government has been at war with porn sites for several years now. He criticizes in particular Xvideos, Pornhub and others for not doing enough to prevent minors from accessing their sites. In December 2021, the main French X sites were also summoned by the CSA to set up a verification system worthy of the name, under penalty of being blocked by ISPs.
At the same time, MP Bruno Studer worked on a new bill. His idea ? Make the installation of a parental control system mandatory on all devices with a screen sold in France. In other words and if the text is voted on, Apple, Samsung and all the others will have to comply and integrate parental controls on their smartphones, PCs, tablets, etc.
Mandatory parental control on smartphones almost adopted
The text in question was adopted at first reading in the National Assembly in January 2021, and after several modifications by the deputies and senators, Bruno Studer’s bill was voted unanimously in the Hemicycle on February 22, 2022 by the 57 deputies present. The parliamentary shuttle of the text is not yet finished, however, since it will have to go through a final examination in the Senate on February 24.
For the MP behind the measure, it is a great victory that marks the arrival of a “another tool to try to make life easier for parents”. As a reminder, the law therefore provides for the imposition the default installation of a parental control system on all devices with a screen and an Internet connection sold in France. The purpose of the maneuver is simple: let parents know that they have this functionality in all cases to prevent their children from accessing adult content.
Be careful however, note that the system will not be enabled by default. Indeed, this decision will be up to the parents only. In addition, the availability of this function must be indicated to the owners during the initial configuration of the device or during a return to factory settings. In other words and if you don’t have children, nothing prevents you from doing without it.
