Vietnam has introduced a draft law that would impose strict limits on social media use by children under 16, requiring parental oversight, tighter platform responsibilities, and daily limits on online gaming.

The Vietnamese government has submitted a draft law to parliament that would introduce comprehensive restrictions on social media use by children under the age of 16.

If approved, the legislation would prevent minors under 16 from sharing content, commenting on posts, or using features such as "likes" and other forms of interaction without the consent of their parents or legal guardians.

The proposal also requires children's social media accounts to be verified using a phone number registered in Vietnam. Each account would have to be linked to the identity of a parent or legal guardian, who would bear legal responsibility for the child's online activity and the time spent on social media platforms.

The draft legislation also places new obligations on social media companies.

Platforms would be required to implement systems capable of identifying child users, provide age-appropriate content, and block access to harmful material, including violence, pornography, gambling, drugs, suicide-related content, and other content deemed harmful to minors.

In addition, social media providers would be required to apply the highest level of privacy protection to accounts belonging to children.

The proposed law also introduces new regulations for online gaming. Game operators would have to verify users' ages, register accounts of children under 16 using parental information, and limit their playtime to a maximum of 60 minutes per day on the same gaming platform.

The proposal is currently under parliamentary review and has not yet been enacted into law. (ILKHA)