Vietnam is planning to require social media platforms to stop users under 16 from posting content, commenting or reacting to posts under a draft decree designed to strengthen online protections for children.
The proposal would require social media accounts belonging to children under 16 to be registered using the details of a parent or legal guardian, who would be responsible for supervising the content viewed and the amount of time spent on the platforms.
Social media companies would also be required to use technical measures to identify child users and ensure they are shown age-appropriate content.
"The primary objective is not to ban or excessively restrict children's access to social media, but rather to ensure that when children use social media services, they are placed in an age-appropriate environment and protected from inappropriate risks," Deputy Culture Minister Phan Tam said on Thursday during a meeting to discuss the proposed rules.
He said the proposal was intended to improve online safety for children while allowing them to continue using social media in a safer, age-appropriate environment.
Under the draft decree, platforms would also be required to provide the highest level of privacy protection for child accounts and proactively detect, warn about and block access to content related to violence, pornography, gambling, drugs, suicide and other harmful material.
The proposal comes as governments around the world move to tighten online safety rules for children amid growing concerns over the impact of social media and harmful online content on young people's mental health.
Earlier this week, French lawmakers approved a ban on social media access for children under 15, while Australia became the first country to introduce similar restrictions. Several other countries are considering comparable measures.
Beyond social media, the draft decree also proposes new restrictions on online gaming by minors.
Game operators would be required to verify users' ages, register accounts for children under 16 through a parent or legal guardian, and limit those users to no more than 60 minutes of gameplay per day across games provided by the same company.
The draft decree has not yet been finalised and could still be revised before being adopted.
Read more:
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
One person has been killed and six others injured after an explosion at a petroleum storage facility at the Port of Rotterdam, prompting an investi...
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricult...
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
One person has been killed and six others injured after an explosion at a petroleum storage facility at the Port of Rotterdam, prompting an investigation into the cause.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday for talks focused on Gaza, Palestinian statehood and regional security.
Taiwan staged military defence drills on Wednesday as China concluded joint naval exercises with Indonesia in waters east of the island.
Washington’s counter-narcotics push is expanding as Colombia’s new conservative government backs deeper security cooperation.
Meta said it had removed more than 750,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts suspected of belonging to Australians under 16, as the country’s internet regulator weighs enforcement action over its teen social media ban.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment