The government is taking steps to introduce new laws and regulations to prevent the exploitation of children by parents and adults seeking popularity and financial gain through social media, Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Savithri Paulraj has stated.
The proposed measures aim to address the growing trend of children being exposed to dangerous activities and inappropriate content for online engagement, publicity and commercial benefit.
According to the Minister, reported practices include taking children to dangerous locations and high-risk areas, encouraging them to use obscene language, involving them in content intended for adults, and exposing them to sexually explicit material.
The Minister stressed that parents who place their children at risk in pursuit of money or online popularity raise serious concerns about their ability to fulfil their parental responsibilities.
She also emphasized that parents do not have an unrestricted right to compromise their children's privacy, adding that decisions about seeking public attention and popularity should ultimately be made by individuals themselves when they reach adulthood and possess the maturity to make such choices independently.
Children exposed to serious risks through their parents' irresponsible use of social media may need to be identified as children requiring protection, the Minister said. She added that protective guardianship arrangements could become necessary in certain cases to safeguard their welfare and security.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, in collaboration with the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), is finalizing a set of guidelines aimed at promoting a child-friendly media culture.
The guidelines, prepared with the assistance of a panel of experts, are expected to be implemented in the near future.
The proposed framework comes amid growing international concern over the commercial exploitation of children on social media, commonly referred to as “kidfluencing”, in which children feature in online content created to generate income or build an audience.
Countries and jurisdictions, including France and California in the United States, have introduced legal measures addressing children's participation in commercial online content. These include provisions to protect earnings generated through such activities and restrictions on the time children can be required to participate.
Major social media platforms have also been strengthening policies aimed at protecting minors' privacy and safety online.
The Ministry said Sri Lanka's proposed laws and guidelines are intended to establish a stronger protective framework to prevent children from being exploited for commercial gain or personal fame through social media.
