“Alcohol abuse is dangerous to health and should be consumed in moderation”, of course. But alcohol promotion on social media should also be used sparingly. In any case, this is what some influencers learned after a court ruling against Meta and her Instagram affiliate in early January for illegal alcohol promotion.
In fact, the Paris Judicial Court ordered the group to remove 37 Instagram posts after a procedure requested by the National Association for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Addiction (ANPAA, legal entity of Addictions France). The publications had to be withdrawn within 15 days of the court decision, with a fine of 100 euros per day of delay for three months.
These publications had been made by about twenty different influencers. In addition to ordering the withdrawal of these publications, the judge asked Meta to communicate the coordinates of all the influencers involved so that they themselves can be prosecuted.
5 million subscribers affected
According to the association Addictions France, there are potentially “5 million French people who have been affected by illegal publications, and mostly young people (even minors)”. These publications were identified during the period from April 2020 to February 2022.
Addictions France had previously attempted to have the posts removed by directly contacting the influencers in question. Faced with the reluctance of some, the association then appealed to Meta, the parent company of Instagram, which had chosen not to respond to the requests of Addictions France.
A “party” look that doesn’t go away
I judged at the end estimated “that these publications are contrary to the loi Evin in ce qu’elles font une promotion abusive des boissons alcooliques et contreviennent à l’objectif de santé publish de lutte contre l’alcoolisme” selon le communiqué d’Addictions France. Advertisements for alcoholic beverages are indeed authorized but strictly regulated by law. Alcohol cannot be presented in a favorable or attractive way (such as in a party context) and your advertising must only include objective elements such as origin or alcohol content.
Addictions France welcomed this decision that “marks a jurisprudential advance in more than one sense.” Contacted, Meta and Instagram have not yet responded to our requests. This isn’t the first time Instagram has come under fire for issues with illegal alcohol ads. In May 2022, a netizen was accused of covert advertising of the Ricard brand using the term “riflon” to designate the alcoholic beverage and circumventing the Evin law.
Source: BFM TV
