France is moving towards the introduction of a legal definition of the “influencer” profession, the country’s finance minister, Bruno Lemaire, said today.

According to what he said, a legal framework will be created that will set barriers to the promotion of dangerous products or services, starting with the promotion of alcoholic beverages, sports betting or financial products.

Advertisements for cosmetic drugs or surgical procedures will also be strictly prohibited.

It will also be provided that when an influencer displays images or videos that have undergone editing procedures, they must be accompanied by the indication: “images retouched”.

Finally, it is foreseen that in case of fraud the influencers may face a ban on practicing the profession.

A sanction that can take the form of deletion – temporary or permanent – of their accounts in social networks. Provided of course that Instagram, TikTok and other platforms based outside of France agree to play the game.