The call, initiated by France and the U.N. child protection
agency UNICEF, acknowledges that “in the digital environment, children can come
across harmful and violent content and manipulation of information. Just like
adults, children have rights to privacy, which should be respected.”
The text also listed “threats amplified by technology”
including cyber bullying, sexual abuse, prostitution, human trafficking, sexual
and gender-based violence or violent online radicalization.
“We call upon all governments, online service providers and
relevant organizations to stand up for children’s rights in the digital
environment,” it said.
Signatories include Amazon, Google and YouTube, Facebook and
Instagram’s parent company Meta, Microsoft, Snapchat and Twitter. The call has
also been joined by eight nations including France, Italy, Argentina, Jordan
and Morocco — although not the United States.
About 30 heads of state and government and U.S.
Vice-President Kamala Harris were participating in the Paris Peace Forum that
opened Thursday. The summit, organized both in person and online, brings
together world leaders, CEOs, NGOs and others to discuss global issues such as
climate, the COVID-19 pandemic and digital transition.
Macron chaired the session about children’s rights in the
presence of YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki.
“We must regulate contents and authorization tools so that
an 8-year-old, a 10-year-old, a 15-year-old child ... cannot be exposed to all
contents without rules,” Macron said. That must go via parental control
installed by default on some tools, he said. He also insisted on the need for
educating children about the risks of social media.
Macron, Harris, EU Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen
and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also participated in another
roundtable on regulating the digital domain, along with Microsoft president
Brad Smith. Harris announced that the U.S. is joining the Paris Call launched
in 2018 to improve security and better regulate cyberspace.
Children's rights advocates have for years urged internet
giants to take action to better protect children.
Revelations last month from whistleblower Frances Haugen
about internal Facebook studies on the harm of Instagram on teenagers
intensified parents' concerns about the popular photo sharing app.
Justine Atlan, head of “E-Enfance,” a group advocating the
protection of children on the internet, participated in the Paris Peace Forum.
“We can build a lot of tools ... but all these
functionalities are useless because children lie about their age. For me, this
is the big issue,” she said. “That’s why I think we all need to work together
and find solutions.”
Nora Fraisse, head of a French association fighting school
bullying, praised “a key moment” that puts “international pressure” on internet
giants.
Fraisse founded “Marion La Main Tendue” (“Marion The
Outstretched Hand”) after her daughter, Marion, committed suicide at the age of
13 because she was being harassed at school.
“Those who are spreading hatred via their pipes hold some
responsibility,” she said about popular social media apps like TikTok,
Instagram and Snapchat. Cyberbullying and bullying at school are often
interconnected.
Fraisse said social media companies should request proof of
identity as a first step and have better control over published content.
Social media companies have generally banned kids under 13
from signing up for their services, although it’s been widely documented that
kids sign up anyway, with or without their parents’ permission.
Fraisse, who speaks in schools about online risks, also
called for better educating children and parents on these issues.
She cited a nationwide study her association commissioned
this year that showed the proportion of those who attempted suicide is higher
among children bullied at school (12%) than in the general population (7%).
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