The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs is taking steps to introduce new laws and regulations to prevent parents and adults from exploiting children for social media popularity and financial gain.
Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Savithri Paulraj said the move comes amid growing concerns over children being exposed to dangerous activities and inappropriate content by adults seeking online fame and income.
According to the Ministry, reported incidents include taking children to dangerous locations, encouraging them to use obscene language, involving them in adult-oriented content and exposing them to sexually explicit material.
The Minister warned that parents who deliberately place their children at risk for financial gain or popularity raise serious concerns about their ability to fulfil parental responsibilities.
She emphasised that even parents do not have the right to compromise a child’s privacy, adding that decisions about seeking public attention or social media popularity should be left to individuals once they reach adulthood and have sufficient maturity.
Paulraj further warned that children exposed to serious risks through their parents’ irresponsible social media activities may have to be classified as children in need of protection.
She said protective guardianship arrangements could become necessary in certain cases to safeguard the welfare and safety of affected children.
Meanwhile, the Ministry, in collaboration with the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), is developing a set of guidelines aimed at promoting a child-friendly media culture.
The guidelines, prepared by a panel of experts, are currently in their final stages and are expected to be introduced in the near future.
The Ministry noted that several countries have already introduced measures to regulate the commercial use of children on social media, commonly known as “kidfluencing.”
It cited France and California in the United States as examples of jurisdictions that have introduced legal safeguards to protect earnings generated by children through social media, including requirements for income to be deposited into protected accounts.
Restrictions on the time children spend participating in such activities have also been introduced in certain jurisdictions.
The Ministry said Sri Lanka’s proposed framework aims to introduce similar protections to prevent the exploitation of children, safeguard their privacy and ensure their welfare in the digital environment. (Newswire)