France: Passed Bill aimed at establishing a digital majority and combating online hate establishing age verification requirement

On 2 March 2023, the Bill aiming to establish a numerical majority and to fight against online hatred was passed by the National Assembly of France. The Bill amends the Postal and Electronic Communications Code to incorporate the definition of online social networking services according to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Online social networking services are platforms enabling users to connect, communicate, and share content. In particular, the Bill would require platforms to only allow users over 15 to register and use their services. Platforms would also need to obtain explicit parental consent for users under 15 to create an account and enable parents to suspend the account. Under the passed version of the Bill, parental authorisation would not apply if the user is under 13 years old unless the platform was created for children and meets the criteria that the Council of State will establish. Furthermore, the Bill requires platforms to comply with orders related to illegal activities issued during investigations within 10 days or 8 hours for cases involving imminent risk of serious harm.