Children and social media: why legal protection is becoming a necessity

Social media, now an integral part of modern life, serves as a convenient platform for sharing information, conducting business, and engaging in public and social discussions. While these platforms once had more limited functions-such as meeting new people, presenting content, and exchanging posts-they have evolved into a far more complex phenomenon. This, in turn, also brings certain risks. Factors such as disinformation, cybercrime, illegal distribution of personal data, blackmail, and the promotion of harmful habits are unavoidable realities of today's digital environment.

For this reason, as in many countries around the world, discussions on the legal regulation of the digital space are periodically taking place in Azerbaijan. A natural outcome of this necessity has been the adoption of legislative amendments aimed at regulating the protection of children"s rights on social networks.

These changes are based on international practice. Their main goal is to regulate rules of conduct on social platforms, define users' rights and obligations, and establish responsibility for violations of the law, aligning these norms with modern challenges. In this context, the amendments place special emphasis on protecting the most vulnerable groups in the digital environment, primarily children. In other words, the law is designed to ensure that children's safety on such platforms is guaranteed in a reliable and systematic way.

As noted, any social platform can evolve into a tool with multiple and diverse functions over time. Therefore, viewing them solely as means of communication and information exchange while ignoring other factors creates the conditions for serious consequences in the future. Taking this into account, the draft law should primarily be seen as a step aimed at protecting against risks such as violence, cyberbullying, harmful content, disinformation, and psychological manipulation, as well as preventing these threats before they arise. At the same time, these changes once again demonstrate that child protection is an integral part of state policy.

In the modern era, security is no longer limited to physical protection: this applies not only to children but to society as a whole. The digital space has become so vast and multilayered that the development and implementation of new protective mechanisms has become essential. The new legal regulation reflects this reality and elevates the issue of child protection to a broader level.

At the same time, within the framework of the new draft, the concept of parental control is gaining the status of a legal mechanism, thereby strengthening the role of the family as an institution of upbringing.

The foundation of a healthy society is a healthy family, and the foundation of a healthy family is children who grow up in a safe environment and receive proper upbringing. Therefore, legal mechanisms aimed at protecting children from potentially harmful influences of such platforms should be seen as a step toward a healthy future and an investment in society as a whole.

A rapidly changing world and technologies that evolve every day-and sometimes almost every hour-place increasing emphasis on the need for consistent and targeted preventive measures. Countries such as Australia, Norway, France, Denmark, Spain, Türkiye, Canada, and New Zealand are also implementing various measures to protect children on social media, mainly related to platform access, age restrictions, and similar issues. In other words, the world as a whole recognizes this problem and is developing ways to address it. These measures include age limits for social media use by children, requirements for parental consent, and additional obligations for platforms themselves. Therefore, the legal steps being implemented in Azerbaijan can be seen as aligned with global trends and aimed at strengthening children's digital safety.

In all civilized societies, the protection of children's rights and interests is considered a state priority. Just as children are prohibited from purchasing tobacco and alcohol products, the widespread accessibility of the internet makes it necessary to take measures against various types of harmful content. Clearly, all these steps are aimed at protecting children's health, safety, and normal development.

It is also important to note that Azerbaijan already has a legal framework in this area, and it is not being created from scratch. As early as 2018, the Law "On Protection of Children from Harmful Information" was adopted, defining measures to ensure children's right to access age-appropriate information and protection from harmful content. The new regulations regarding social media should therefore be seen as an evolution of this legal approach in response to modern digital challenges.

In short, if we want a healthy future, we must base it on healthy discussions and take the right steps. These are precisely the principles reflected in today's measures.