Azerbaijan to Set Age Limits for Social Media to Protect Young People

President Ilham Aliyev

Azerbaijan is changing its online rules to shield children from possible online dangers. President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree to protect children from harmful online content, which means big changes in how young people use tech and social media.

The main part of this plan is adding age limits for signing up on social media. The government has three months to write the rules for this, using ideas from around the world to make sure the rules are good and up-to-date. People worldwide are worried that social media is growing faster than the laws that protect kids, leaving them open to problems.

Besides social media rules, the decree also talks about online safety in schools. Soon, there will be rules about using phones and devices during school. Also, school programs will start teaching about using the internet safely, like how to stay secure online and act responsibly. The idea is to teach students, teachers, and parents how to use the internet without danger.

Azerbaijan is now one of a few countries that are strict about young people using social media. It's like Australia, which banned social media for those under 16, and the United Kingdom, which is thinking about doing the same.

This change has started a discussion in Azerbaijan. Many parents like the idea of better protection for children, but some experts are worried about how the rules will be used. They think the rules might limit online freedom, but government officials say they only want to keep young people safe. As the new laws are written, the focus will be on balancing online safety with people's rights in an online world.