2.3 million minors visit pornographic sites in France. More than half of boys using the Internet visit these sites on average every month.
The authorities have been trying for several years to increase pressure on porn sites by requiring them to verify the age of users. The issue of the age verification method, which raises many questions in terms of technical feasibility, has still not been resolved. The government is giving Arcom, via its “Sren” bill, the power to administratively block sites that do not correctly verify age, without going through a judge as is the case currently. If they do not react, “Arcom’s regulatory power over sites does not prevent minors from accessing their content,” says Cofrade delegate Arthur Melon. “The repository is what sites want to save time, the government is rolling out the red carpet for porn sites,’ says Céline Piques, from “Dare feminism!” “If we see that minors still have access to content, the platforms will say that it is not their fault, that they have complied with the framework and that if the latter is not effective, we must see with Arcom”