The lower house of the French parliament recently approved a bill that forbids social media influencers from advocating cosmetic surgery while requiring them to disclose when filters or photoshop have been used on their pictures and videos.
The bill was approved by the National Assembly and will now go to the Senate where it would likely be passed into law.
With the rise of social media and beauty influencers, teenagers, and adults are easily misled by the pictures they see online. This makes them have unrealistic beauty standards and absurd expectations and frequently develops body dysmorphia and poor body image which can have serious negative effects on one's physical and mental health.
In November last year, French Green Party member, Aurélien Taché introduced the legislative draft. Taché's claims that influencers pushed scams because there were no repercussions.
Bruno Le Maire, France's finance minister warned that breaking the stringent rules may result in a two-year prison sentence and fines of $32,515 (€30,000). Influencers who have been found guilty will also not be allowed to use social media to further their careers.
The bill also affects child influencers. It mandates that the activities of child influencers be closely monitored. According to the bill, minors under the age of 16 will need state authorization before they may operate on the platforms