Czech government weighs social media ban for under 15s

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) has announced that his government is seriously considering banning social media for children under the age of 15, following the example of France. While flash polls suggest that most parents would approve, many experts are dubious regarding the wisdom of an outright ban.   

By the age of 11, close to 80 percent of Czech children have a profile on social media. On average they spend four to five hours on them daily and 8% of children have symptoms of problematic users. Addressing the public on Facebook this weekend Prime Minister Babiš said it is time to take action.

“I’m in favor of a ban, because the experts I know all say it is extremely harmful. We must do something to protect our children.”

Andrej Babiš|Photo: Zuzana Jarolímková, iROZHLAS.cz

Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček said the government is already consulting the matter with experts and telecommunications operators. “We definitely won’t drag this out and would like to propose a ban already this year. There’s no time to waste. Social networks are destroying children’s lives; it’s starting to become a plague,” Havlíček said in a debate on CNN Prima News.

However, opposition politicians and the Motorists from the ruling coalition remain unconvinced. They argue that while they understand the growing concern over the damage done, it would be hard to implement a ban without compromising the fundamental right to privacy.

Social media are extremely popular in this country and Czechs, who jumped on the bandwagon as soon as they appeared, are also extremely sensitive about any infringement on their right to privacy or any attempt on the part of the government to restrict their activities – because of the country’s communist past.

Social media|Photo: AzamKamolov, Pixabay, Pixabay License

Politicians were also quick to adopt social networks as their playground in communicating with voters. They were the number one platform in campaigning ahead of the elections and many politicians –including the prime minister himself-  use them daily.

Despite the fact that Czechs are sensitive to any attempt to restrict their activities the information about how damaging social networks are for children has reached parents and flash polls conducted by media outlets among readers indicate that between 70 and 80 percent of Czechs would approve of the move.

Data from the National Health Institute suggest that around 40 percent of Czech minors suffer from mild to severe depression. Many more children than in the past are self-harming and due to time spent on social networks children are becoming increasingly isolated.

Moreover, other countries are already leading the way.

Karel Havlíček|Photo: Jakub Jirásek, iROZHLAS.cz

Australia banned access to social media for children under 16 last December. France approved a law banning social media use for children under 15 last month and similar restrictions are being considered in Denmark, Slovenia, Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom. The European Parliament has also called for limiting access to social networks for children and adolescents.

While there is general consensus on the argument that social networks are harmful to minors, opinions remain divided on whether a ban is the best possible solution.

UNICEF warned last December that bans alone will not protect children and may even be counterproductive.

Petr Koubský|Photo: Marián Vojtek, Czech Radio

Journalist Petr Koubský told Czech Radio the government needs to address a broader problem.

“I still think a ban is not a good idea and you need to see the big picture. Social networks have many harmful effects on children and adults alike, and rather than restricting them, the authorities should try to influence how social networks function and reduce their toxicity for all groups of the population. Moreover, I have serious doubts regarding the enforceability of a ban. It would only be a solution on paper : we would set down strict rules that in practice will be unenforceable, so all it will do is lower respect for the law,” he argues.

Given the fact that the ruling coalition itself is divided on the matter, an outright ban may not be the selected solution and the government may turn to less restrictive models being debated elsewhere.