The “Social Media Minimum Age Bill” was submitted today to the Secretary General of Parliament by President’s Counsel Faizer Mustafa, MP. The primary objective of the proposed legislation is to regulate children’s access to social media platforms and protect them from harmful online content.
Under the provisions of the bill, the relevant Minister responsible for Children’s Affairs will be empowered to issue orders preventing children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms. The bill also includes provisions to restrict the amount of time children may spend on social media each day and to specify designated periods during which such platforms may be used.
The proposed legislation further provides for the appointment of an authorized commissioner under the National Child Protection Authority to oversee and monitor the implementation of the law.
In addition, the bill stipulates that in the event of any inconsistency between the Sinhala and Tamil versions of the legislation, the Sinhala version shall prevail.
