Azerbaijan is considering introducing a minimum age of 16 for registering on social media platforms, according to a new legislative proposal discussed in the Milli Majlis.
Report informs that the initiative was put forward by Zahid Oruj, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, during discussions on amendments to existing legislation.
According to Oruj, the main objective is to protect children under 16 from harmful online content, including suicide-related content, sexual exploitation, and bullying.
"The main goal is to protect children under 16 from the harmful effects of social media, including encouragement of suicide, sexual exploitation, and bullying. Registration on social networks will be allowed only from age 16," he said.
He added that for users aged 16 to 18, a more flexible system would apply, requiring parental consent for registration.
The draft law also proposes banning manipulative design features for teenagers, such as infinite scrolling and autoplay videos.
Under the proposal, platforms would be required to verify user age using bank cards, email, or phone numbers. Personal data collected for verification would be prohibited from commercial use or sharing with third parties, and violators would face fines.