Govt weighs social media restrictions for children under 16

The Government is considering imposing restrictions or a possible ban on social media access for children under 16, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya told Parliament today (8).

Responding to a question raised by SJB Gampaha District MP Harshana Rajakaruna, the Prime Minister said discussions with relevant stakeholders were currently underway to assess the impact of social media use on children and explore measures to ensure their safety.

She said the consultations, led by the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, are focusing on the social, mental and health effects of excessive social media use, digital security concerns and global developments in regulating online platforms.

The Prime Minister said the National Child Protection Authority and the National Childcare and Protection Society were also engaged in discussions on the proposal, while steps were being taken to draft national guidelines on restricting access to social media platforms for children below 16 years.

She added that awareness programmes would also be introduced to safeguard children's mental and physical wellbeing in an increasingly digital environment.

According to the Prime Minister, several government institutions, including the Ministries of Women and Child Affairs, Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Health, Mass Media and Digital Economy, along with the Sri Lanka Police, Department of Probation and Child Care Services and the National Child Protection Authority, are collaborating on the initiative.

She further said the Government, together with World Vision, was implementing a programme aimed at addressing mobile phone addiction among children under 18, which had already shown positive results.

Prime Minister Amarasuriya said the Government's focus was to strike a balance between protecting children from potential online harms and ensuring they benefit from digital opportunities.