In recent days, the issue of banning the use of social media by children under 16 has been widely discussed in Azerbaijan.
Yeniavaz.com reports that several proposals on this topic have been put forward in the Milli Majlis.
The proposals are aimed at protecting children's psychological safety, reducing digital addiction, and preventing minors from accessing harmful content.
It's worth noting that Australia has taken the first significant step in this area. The country's law prohibits individuals under 16 from creating social media accounts. France is expected to impose restrictions on social media use by children under 15. In several other countries, minors are only allowed to use social media with parental consent.
In an interview with Yeniavaz.com, psychologist Ainur Isgandarova noted that banning social media for children under 16 could have a number of positive effects:
“As much as parents might want to control social media, we see firsthand that most parents find it difficult to monitor their teenagers’ phones, keep them under constant surveillance, and prevent them from using social media. Sometimes parents aren’t well-informed in this area. This also coincides with a period when teenagers don’t yet fully understand themselves and are searching for their identity. It’s at this stage that they’re most likely to make mistakes, and social media creates favorable conditions for these misbehaviors.”
According to the psychologist, adolescence is a sensitive period when people don’t understand themselves and are searching for their identity, and during this period, the likelihood of inappropriate behavior is higher:
“Teenagers compare themselves to the images they see on social media, try to be like them, or replicate these behavior patterns. This can lead them down the wrong path.”
Isgandarova noted that the restrictions imposed on social media should not be interpreted as a complete rejection of technology:
"The era we live in is one in which technology, especially artificial intelligence, is developing rapidly. It's important not to isolate teenagers from technology, but rather to properly engage them in this area and educate them. Where necessary, it's crucial to teach them about artificial intelligence programs and explain the rules for their proper use."

Farida Asadzade