The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs has put up preliminary discussions with stakeholders regarding the proposals for banning or restricting the use of social media platforms by children aged below 16, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya revealed. 

The discussions are centered on social, psychological and health effects of social media, cyber security and world trends, Amarasuriya stated. 

“There are plans in place to develop national guidelines for access restrictions for people under the age of 16, and to raise awareness about the importance of protecting children’s mental and physical health,” she said.

The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs has also launched a programme for children under the age of 18 to deal with mobile phone addiction, which has so far yielded positive results, the Prime Minister further said. 

The comments were made by PM Harini Amarasuriya today (08) at the Parliament of Sri Lanka (PLS).