Vietnam Joins Global Social Media Crackdown, Plans Ban On Under-16s Posting Online

Governments across the world have been tightening rules for Big Tech companies and their social media platforms over concerns around online safety, misinformation and the growing influence of AI. After Australia introduced one of the world's toughest social media restrictions and France approved a ban for children under 15 earlier this week, Vietnam has now joined the growing list of countries targeting social media companies. The Southeast Asian nation is planning to stop users under the age of 16 from posting content, commenting or reacting to posts on social media platforms, according to a draft reviewed by Reuters.According to the report, the proposed rules will require all social media accounts belonging to children under 16 to be registered

using the information of a parent or legal guardian. Parents will also be responsible for supervising the type of content their children view and the amount of time they spend on these platforms.The official draft also puts fresh responsibility on social media companies Meta And Google. Platforms will have to use technical measures to identify child users and ensure they are served age-appropriate content.Explaining the government's objective, deputy culture minister Phan Tam said: "The primary objective is not to ban or excessively restrict children's access to social media, but rather to ensure that when children use social media services, they are placed in an age-appropriate environment and protected from inappropriate risks."Reuters further reported that social media platforms would also be required to provide the highest level of privacy protection for child accounts. They must proactively detect, warn and block content related to violence, pornography, gambling, drugs, suicide and other harmful material.The proposed rules also extend beyond social media. Vietnam is planning stricter regulations for online gaming by minors. Under the draft decree, gaming companies would have to verify users' ages, register accounts of children under 16 through a parent or legal guardian, and limit them to no more than 60 minutes of gameplay per day for games offered by the same company.The draft has not yet been finalised and could still be revised before it is adopted.(With inputs from Reuters)