Media Experts Call for Adopting French Model to Regulate Influencers

A clear call has been made to regulate the work of bloggers and influencers in Egypt, drawing on successful international experiences. Dr. Howaida Mustafa, Deputy Head of the State Information Service and former Dean of the Faculty of Mass Communication at Cairo University, stressed that the significant impact these figures have on youth and children necessitates a clear legal framework governing their activities.

The French Experience as a Model

France was a pioneer in this field. In 2023, it enacted a law specifically targeting influencers, focusing on content quality, mandating disclosure of sponsored ads, imposing strict restrictions on promoting prohibited products, and applying financial penalties on violators. Dr. Mustafa shared these details during her interview on the 'Arabity' program on Radio Masr, highlighting the possibility of benefiting from this model when drafting similar legislation.

The French move extended beyond the law itself. The country went further by amending the name of its audiovisual media regulator to also cover digital communication. This subtle name change reveals a fundamental shift in understanding the new media landscape. That is no longer limited to traditional channels.

Keeping Pace with the Digital Age

Other countries have also started issuing licenses to influencers, confirming that regulation is no longer an option but a pressing necessity. The media scene is changing rapidly, and old laws are no longer sufficient to govern practices that transcend geographical and cultural boundaries in an instant.

Keeping up with these developments has become essential to ensure the responsible use of social media platforms and protect society from unregulated practices. The influence of content creators on young audiences grows daily, making the need for a legal framework to govern this influence more urgent than ever. Dr. Mustafa believes that learning from internationally proven experiences is the optimal path to building local legislation that balances freedom of expression with community protection.