Papua New Guinea Weighs Age Limits for Social Media Use
(MENAFN) Papua New Guinea is considering implementing age-based restrictions on social media usage within the Pacific Island country, a news outlet reported on Friday.
The administration is anticipated to introduce a proposed law regarding social media regulation in parliament later this month, following the Cabinet’s endorsement.
According to the Social Media Policy 2025, individuals aged 14 and older will need to sign up for a SevisPass digital identification before they can access platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and X.
Authorities assert that these steps aim to combat misinformation, internet fraud, and digital harassment.
“We are in early discussions with Meta on enforcing age verification as a start,” stated Steven Matainaho, Papua New Guinea’s secretary for the information and communications technology department, in an interview with the news outlet.
Nonetheless, the upcoming policy to manage digital platforms has sparked public unease about freedom of information and provoked anxiety over possible state censorship.
Activist Yuambari Haihuie from Transparency International argued that promoting safer digital environments should be achieved through awareness and digital literacy, rather than imposed governmental controls.
“Social media is the modern public space … this thinking needs to change,” he commented.
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