Vietnam prepares new restrictions for minors on social networks

Vietnamese authorities are considering the possibility of introducing new restrictions for underage users of social networks.

According to the draft government decree, children under 16 may be prohibited from independently posting content, leaving comments, and using reaction features on posts. The initiative is part of a growing international trend to strengthen control over children’s and adolescents’ use of digital platforms.

As follows from the draft document, accounts of users under 16 will have to be registered using the data of one of the parents or legal guardians. It is the adults who will be responsible for controlling the child’s activity on social networks, including the content viewed and the time spent on internet platforms.

In addition, social network owners are planned to be required to implement technical solutions that allow determining the age of users.

This is necessary so that minors are shown only content appropriate for their age category.

Deputy Minister of Culture of Vietnam Phan Tam, commenting on the proposed changes, emphasized that the goal of the initiative is not to completely ban children from using social networks. According to him, the authorities seek to create a safer digital environment for minors and protect them from potentially dangerous content and other risks associated with the use of internet platforms.

The draft document also provides for additional requirements for social network operators regarding the protection of children’s personal data. Platforms will have to ensure the maximum level of privacy for children’s accounts, as well as implement mechanisms for the timely detection and blocking of materials containing scenes of violence, pornography, information about gambling, narcotic substances, suicide, and other potentially harmful content.

The new rules will affect not only social networks but also the online gaming sector. Vietnamese authorities propose to require gaming companies to verify the age of users and register accounts of children under 16 exclusively through parents or legal representatives.

In addition, minors are planned to have a limit on the duration of gaming time. According to the draft decree, children under 16 will be able to spend no more than 60 minutes a day in online games of the same company.

The document is currently under discussion and has not yet been finally approved. Before its adoption, the provisions of the draft may be changed or supplemented.

Source: Aljazeera