A new draft law in the Romanian Senate seeks to set 16 as the minimum threshold to have a social media account. Access for children below that age will be allowed only with parental consent and a rigorous security filter.
The initiative aims to curtail the time that children spend online and the harmful influences they may encounter, such as pornographic content, viral challenges, bullying, and fraud. It also introduces stricter rules for platforms operating in Romania, according to Observator News.
“If the age of adulthood offline is 18, online it is 16. We’re not banning children’s access to the online environment, but stressing that such access must come with a double filter. First, parental control. The content must be appropriate for their age. A certain type of content reaches a 10-year-old, and a different one reaches a 17-year-old,” said Liberal senator Nicoleta Pauliuc, the initiator of the project.
“I appeal to all parliamentary colleagues, authorities, and civil society to support this initiative. Our children cannot wait. We have the duty to give them a safe, educational, and healthy internet now, not later,” the senator stated. She also publicly championed the issue online, in a series of videos published on Facebook.
The law applies not only to large platforms but to all online information services (social networks, websites, games, banking apps). The only exception is made for authorized educational platforms. Harsh penalties will be imposed for non-compliance, including fines proportional to revenue and even suspension of activity.
The bill is also part of a larger discussion taking place at European level regarding children’s access to the internet. Greece, backed by France and Spain, is spearheading efforts to get the EU to significantly limit the amount of time teenagers can spend online.
Earlier this month, however, French president Emmanuel Macron said that he will ban social media for under-15s in France “in the coming months” if progress isn’t forthcoming at EU level. The statement came after the murder of a teaching assistant in a high school in Nogent, Haute-Marne, according to Politico.eu.
radu@romania-insider.com
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