The government coalition has announced the outline of a revolutionary bill aimed at restricting minors' access to social media platforms. The proposal envisions a complete ban on using such services for children under the age of 15. The Ministry of National Education argues that the mental health of young people is in a dire state, and the new regulations, modeled on foreign solutions, are set to take effect in 2027 and target the largest technology conglomerates.
The Civic Coalition, together with the Ministry of National Education, has presented the outline of a bill that would introduce unprecedented restrictions on social media access for the youngest citizens. According to the plan, children under the age of 15 will be subject to a complete ban on having accounts on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook. The education ministry emphasizes that the initiative is a response to the deteriorating mental state of Polish youth and the growing phenomenon of cyberbullying. The project envisions imposing strict age verification obligations on tech giants, which could lead to a serious dispute with global corporations in the Big Tech sector. The debate over technology's impact on children intensified after 2021, when whistleblower Frances Haugen revealed internal research by Meta, indicating Instagram's destructive impact on teenage girls' self-esteem.The new regulations are to be implemented in 2027, giving schools and parents time to adapt to the new conditions. A statutory ban on using mobile phones during lessons has also been announced, which, in the government's view, is intended to restore natural peer relationships and focus on learning. Experts note that Poland is joining a group of countries, such as France or Australia, which have decided to take radical steps to protect the digital well-being of minors. The issue of artificial intelligence is also being raised; politicians stress that algorithms and chatbots cannot replace human relationships. <kluczowa-liczba wartość=