News Desk
MALE’ — President Dr Mohamed Muizzu announced on Sunday that the government is drafting legal amendments to restrict children under 16 from accessing social media platforms, with enforcement expected within the next year.
Speaking at a press conference at the President’s Office, President Muizzu said the move is driven by the growing threat of cyberbullying and online grooming, which he described as dangers that have become a serious concern in the Maldives as elsewhere. “Young and vulnerable children are being exposed to highly unsafe content,” he said. “This is a challenge we are seeing worldwide.”
The government is looking to Australia as its primary model. Australia passed legislation last year banning major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, Reddit and YouTube for users under 16. The enforcement framework includes age verification through selfies, identity card checks and bank account linking, alongside significant financial penalties for tech companies that fail to comply. Australian law allows fines of up to USD 33 million for platforms that permit underage access.
The Maldives plans to study that framework and initiate direct communications with global technology companies as it reshapes local law to match. The specific platforms that will be restricted have not yet been named.
President Muizzu framed the restrictions as consistent with rather than in tension with the government’s Maldives 2.0 digital transformation agenda. He said digital progress and child safety are not competing priorities. Internet access and digital learning tools remain central to the government’s vision, but social media access for children is a separate matter.
The President said the Maldives, as a small Islamic society, has both a civic and religious duty to protect children from digital exploitation. The announcement follows the government’s earlier generational tobacco ban, which prohibited anyone born after January 2007 from ever purchasing tobacco products, suggesting a broader pattern of state intervention to protect younger Maldivians from specific harms.
Legal amendments are being drafted. A timeline of roughly one year has been set for rollout and enforcement. The details of how age verification will work in a country without a unified digital identity system at consumer level remain to be worked out.
