An 8-year-old swore live on French TV: what the rules say about kids on air

A street interview, a boy of 8 and a live microphone: that was enough to set French social media on fire. Now the channel itself says it got it wrong. "We should not have given a child the floor," franceinfo's management said.

So what exactly are the rules when a minor speaks on French television?

What happened?

On Saturday, franceinfo (France's public news channel) was live from a Paris demonstration in support of high schoolers, for young people and against the high cost of living. A reporter asked a boy named Marcel, aged 8, "Why did you get involved?"

His answer included insults, among them against President Emmanuel Macron. The reporter tried to steer him back with: "Maybe we shouldn't use bad words, Marcel." The clip went viral anyway.

What do the rules say?

France's media regulator, Arcom (the former CSA), set out the principle in a decision dated 17 April 2007: a child's appearance on a TV programme must not harm their future or their chances of personal development. A charter on protecting children in the media, signed with Unicef, says much the same.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child also gives children the right to express their views, depending on their maturity.

Parents matter a lot here. Under the Arcom decision, both parents must agree before a child's image or voice is broadcast to a wide audience. Marcel's father was with him at the march, but one parent's go-ahead is not enough if the other objects. Written permission from whoever holds parental authority is required, and parents can still object to broadcast after filming.

France's children's rights ombudsman (the Défenseur des droits) adds that, under European case law, parental consent counts from the moment images are captured, not only when they are aired.

Who is responsible?

A child saying yes does not release the broadcaster from its duty. Channels must stay in control of their airtime and avoid using a minor's words on complex political or social issues he may not grasp. If things go off track, they should cut or refocus immediately.

Arcom steps in only after broadcast, in line with freedom of communication. It looks at the type of programme and whether it was live or recorded before judging how serious a failure is.

What's next?

The sources do not say whether Arcom has taken any action. For now, franceinfo has apologised, and the debate over who should speak into a microphone at a protest is far from over.