Another European country is preparing to ban minors from accessing social networks. “We show that we care about our children”
Children using mobile phones. Photo: Dan Pangbourne / ImageSource / Profimedia
Slovenia is preparing a bill to ban access to social media by minors under the age of 15, Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arcon announced at a press conference on Thursday.
Slovenia, which has a population of around 2 million, is following the lead of Spain and Greece which earlier in the week proposed bans on social media use by teenagers, in a sign of toughening attitudes in Europe towards technology that some say is designed to create addiction, Reuters and Agerpres report.
Matej Arcon said that the Ministry of Education initiated the decision, based on the experience of other countries, and that experts in education and digital technologies will also be involved in drafting the law that aims to protect children and adolescents.
“It's been a hot topic around the world and Europe in the last weeks and months and by doing this we as a government are showing that we care about our children,” Arcon said after the government meeting.
He said the government wants to regulate the social networks on which content is shared, citing TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, among others.
While Spain wants to ban access to social media for teenagers under the age of 16, Greece is close to announcing a similar ban for minors under the age of 15, according to a senior government source.
Other countries, such as Britain and France, are also considering tougher stances on social media after Australia became the first country to ban access to such platforms for under-16s.
Another large European country announces that it will ban minors' access to social networks: “We will protect them from the digital Wild West.” From what age will the restriction apply
What is Romania doing?
In Romania, the idea of limiting children's access to social networks was launched in the public space by Raed Arafat, head of the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU). He wrote on Facebook on Saturday that social networks “are high-risk products for children and teenagers” and that Romania should limit by law their access to these platforms, as other countries do.
He was contradicted by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Cătălin Predoiu, who is against limiting the access of children and teenagers to social networks and claims that the bans do not solve the substantive problem and are difficult to apply.
