Azerbaijan eyes ban on bank cards for children under 14 amid online safety concerns

According to a recent survey conducted by the State Committee for Family, Women and Children's Affairs, approximately 75 percent of children in Azerbaijan use the internet daily. Of those, nearly half spend more than five hours online each day.

Report informs that at a roundtable on digital safety held in Baku, Elgun Safarov, head of a department within the committee, warned of the dangers such extended exposure poses. “More than 45 percent of children use the internet for over five hours a day. This is a serious figure,” he said. “Children are increasingly vulnerable to harmful content and, more alarmingly, to risks such as human trafficking, particularly through social media platforms.”

Safarov noted that 67 percent of parents surveyed said they do not impose any restrictions on their children’s internet use.

In addition to content concerns, Safarov drew attention to the financial vulnerabilities of minors. He said some private companies have targeted children for online gambling activities, exploiting the banking system in the process. “Some banks are offering services that allow financial accounts to be opened in the names of children as young as seven or eight,” he said. “We intend to call for regulatory changes to prohibit commercial banks from issuing financial products to anyone under the age of 14.”

The committee’s proposal aims to preempt financial misuse and protect minors from becoming entangled in online criminal networks.

Safarov also emphasized the importance of providing Azerbaijani-language content tailored to children and urged non-governmental organizations to play a greater role in raising awareness and promoting digital literacy.

“We must acknowledge that crimes associated with new technologies, particularly those related to human trafficking, are approaching our doorstep,” he said.