Maldives Govt to Ban Social Media Access for Children Under 16

The government is working on legislative amendments to prevent children under the age of 16 from accessing certain social media applications, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu announced during a news conference on Monday.

The President outlined the initiative as part of broader efforts to protect young people from online harms, drawing a parallel to the government's recently introduced generational ban on smoking. He emphasised that similar protective measures would be implemented in the future to safeguard children.

"There are very serious problems on social media that young children are exposed to," President Muizzu said. 

"Among these are cyberbullying and grooming, which pose significant dangers to children."

The President described cyberbullying as a global epidemic affecting young children and infants, noting that online grooming has become a particularly dangerous phenomenon. He stressed that as an Islamic nation with a small society, Maldives has a particular responsibility to protect its children.

"We intend to take steps to make certain social media apps unavailable to young people under the age of 16," the President explained, adding that the government would look to Australia as a model for implementing these measures.

The government hopes to begin implementation within the next year or so, according to the President.

Despite these restrictions, President Muizzu clarified that the measures do not represent a departure from the digitalisation initiative. He underscored that the government's primary policy is to transform Maldives into a digital society, with internet access remaining crucial to this vision. Education through digital platforms, he noted, would continue to be an important component of the national agenda.

"This step is an important measure against cyberbullying," the President added, assuring that appropriate channels would remain available for children's educational and developmental activities.