Raising parents’ and children’s awareness of digital abuses: this is the aim of the “famzone” installed on the square in front of Gare Saint-Lazare in Paris. 6,000 people have already been welcomed there.
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In this cube in the colors of Instagram, parents and teenagers come to learn about the good uses of social networks. This “famzone”, “fam” for families, is installed until Sunday December 3 in the heart of Paris, on the square in front of Saint-Lazare station, in partnership with several associations such as E-enfance or Génération Numérique. Chloé, 14, is accompanied by Sarah, her mother. They are greeted by an interactive questionnaire. Example question: “Which Instagram feature allows you to limit the visibility of your stories to a restricted circle of people?”
The ambassador then takes care of detailing the protection tools on this social network, such as 3018, the free number against online harassment: “It is accessible from the platform, as soon as a report is made.” Sarah admits to being a little overwhelmed sometimes: “It’s complicated with a teenager. No matter how much we lock everything, at some point they unlock, block our accounts and create new ones!” Chloe admits, she’s done that before. But the teenager learned things thanks to “famzone” : “I discovered that I could hide certain words, so that posts wouldn’t come back.” “Publications that are not in keeping with the age or values”, adds Sarah. A way to avoid potentially offensive or inappropriate content.
A collective “chain of responsibility”
The age to enter Instagram is 13. “One thing that can be reassuring for parents: know that when your minor child registers on the platform, the account will be set to private by default”, says Chloé Réauté, communications manager for Instagram France. Because, if parents and children need to be educated about digital tools, platforms must manage the problem of online harassment and develop tools to combat it. “We are constantly developing products that strengthen the security implemented on the platform”affirms Chloé Réauté.
“In Settings and Privacy, you have a parental supervision section: you click on it, you send an invitation to your teenager and that way, you are connected to their account. So you can see who they follow, who they are through tracked and the time spent on the application.”
Chloé Réauté, Instagram France communications managerat franceinfo
“The subject of harassment is a subject that exists on the platforms, we do not deny it. The important thing is to have a real chain of responsibility together”, she adds. Hence the idea of this “famzone”: bringing together the different actors who fight against digital harassment. “There are associative partners, authorities, platforms like us, but also parents and adolescents. So together, we will be stronger, that’s a certainty!”
Work together to limit abuses, because it is urgent. According to a study by the Génération Numérique association, seven out of ten young people have already been exposed to offensive content on the internet or social networks.