“Whatever the level of commitment of the parents, they will have a minimum base of protection,” says e-Enfance

Establishing specific rules for teenagers’ Instagram accounts is “A step forward in protecting all children on social networks”welcomed Justine Atlan, general director of e-Enfance, an association for the protection of young people on the Internet, on franceinfo on Wednesday, September 18.

By the end of the year, similar rules will apply to all French Instagram users aged 13 to 17. They will have restrictions on their messaging, they will not receive notifications from the application from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Their account will be private and you will have to make a request to follow them.

“Regardless of their parents’ level of engagement with their digital activity, [les jeunes bénéficieront] of a minimum common base of protection, for which Instagram will be the guarantor”rejoices Justine Atlan. However, we must avoid a “perverse effect” and that parents are losing interest in their teenager’s digital life. There will be “drifts”, young people who will try to lie about their age to avoid restrictions, warns the general director of e-Enfance.

She therefore encourages parents to take advantage of the tools put in place by Instagram. “As parents, already in the offline sphere, we are interested in what our children are doing: who their friends are, where they go. This is our role as adult protection. It is good that parents have tools at their disposal to continue their adult protection, including on social networks.”believes Justine Atlan.

The association’s director now hopes that other digital players will adopt Instagram’s standards. “What we would like is for child protection on the Internet to also be a competitive element between them, so that as soon as one makes progress, the others quickly join in”concludes Justine Atlan.