Ukraine Moves to Strengthen Online Safety for Children

Ukraine unveils sweeping plan to restrict social media for children

Ukraine’s parliament members are working on a bill that would limit children’s access to social media to ensure their safety. The bill is currently under development by Verkhovna Rada members, who will propose measures to protect Ukraine’s minors and promote responsible internet use.

According to Rada committee member Yulia Gryshyna, her colleagues were reviewing foreign practices and research data on the effects of social media on children before introducing the draft bill. “We are developing legal acts aimed at protecting children in the modern information society,” Gryshyna said.

Research and Global Trends Shape the Proposal

Gryshyna notes that laws already exist in several European countries to impose specific conditions on children’s use of social networks and require their parents to monitor their activity, due to the presence of harmful information on the web. “Ukrainian lawmakers are looking at studies on the effects of screens and social media use on children’s educational performance,” she added.

Meanwhile, she stressed, specific features of the Ukrainian draft law have not been publicly disclosed yet because its authors are still considering what restrictions to impose on children’s use of social networks and which age groups to cover. “The essence of this project is to help protect children from harmful information on the Internet,” Gryshyna concluded.

School Device Rules Also Under Review

Alongside the social media proposal, Ukraine’s parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Innovation is also considering Draft Law No. 15105, which would ban the use of phones, tablets and smartwatches during class.

The draft law would make it illegal for students to use any of these devices during lessons, except for educational purposes or medical reasons. It aims to limit distractions and encourage more focused learning. After reviewing the draft law, committee members voted to return it to the initiator for further consideration and proposed developing broader policies on the use of information and communication technologies in education for the Ministry of Education and Science.

Part of a Growing International Movement

This initiative by Ukraine is part of the general international trend in which governments are trying to provide greater safeguards for children online. In the European Union, the European Commission has come up with an idea of establishing a minimum age for social media use without any adult guidance. There are discussions underway in Canada on limiting children’s access to social media sites and artificial intelligence chatbots. Similarly, the UAE has completely banned social media use among children below 15 years.