The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs has announced plans to introduce new regulations to prevent the exploitation of children on social media, particularly by parents and adults seeking popularity and financial gain.
In a statement issued yesterday (27), the Ministry expressed concern over the growing trend of parents and adults involving children in social media content creation for fame and monetary benefits.
The Ministry noted that children are increasingly being exposed to inappropriate activities through social media, including visits to potentially dangerous locations, the use of offensive language, participation in adult-oriented content and the creation of sexually suggestive material involving minors.
It warned that such practices could adversely affect children’s education, physical health and psychological well-being.
The Ministry further emphasised that even parents do not have the right to disregard or violate a child’s privacy. It stressed that the decision to pursue public attention or social media popularity should rest with the child, rather than their parents.
Such decisions, the Ministry stated, should be made independently by individuals once they reach adulthood and possess the necessary maturity to understand the implications.
The Ministry also warned that children exposed to serious risks through their parents’ irresponsible use of social media could be classified as “children in need of protection”.
It noted that, in certain circumstances, authorities may even have to consider placing such children under protective care to ensure their safety and well-being.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, in collaboration with the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), has initiated measures to develop a set of guidelines aimed at promoting a child-friendly media culture.
The guidelines, being prepared by a panel of experts, are currently in their final stages and are expected to be brought into effect in the near future.
The Ministry also highlighted that countries around the world are taking increasingly stringent measures to address the commercial exploitation of children on social media, commonly referred to as “kidfluencing”.
It cited France and the US state of California as examples of jurisdictions that have introduced legal safeguards requiring income generated by child social media personalities to be deposited into protected trust accounts for their future benefit. These jurisdictions have also imposed legal restrictions on the amount of time children can be involved in such activities.
The Ministry further noted that major global social media companies are introducing stricter policies to safeguard the privacy of minors.
Sri Lanka, it added, aims to establish a similar protective framework through the proposed guidelines to ensure that children’s rights, privacy and well-being are protected in the digital environment.
