France has become the first European country to formally regulate influencers and how they promote online thanks to a new bill passed last week.
French influencers will now have to state whether they have been paid to promote a product, if images have been retouched or if a person’s figure or face have been created with the help of artificial intelligence.
The regulation also prohibits promoting cosmetic surgery, subscriptions to sports betting apps and financial products like cryptocurrencies.
Violators of the law could see up to two years in prison, €300,000 (£258,000) in fines and their ability to post on the platforms revoked.
Additionally influencers under the age of 16 will have to obtain state approval to work on the platforms and 90 per cent of the money they earn through commercial activities will be frozen until they turn 18.
The law was unanimously accepted by both the National Assembly and Senate and will come into effect within the next two weeks.
Bruno Le Maire, the French economic minister said: “It is a sector in which we believe in because it creates jobs and because it values French culture and creativity,”
“The best way to protect it is to define a framework and rules so that in this dynamic sector, there are no profiteers, stowaways, or people who can take advantage of the weakness of certain consumers”.
