AZE.US
Azerbaijan is considering legislation that would prevent children under 16 from opening personal accounts on social media platforms and impose fines of up to 50,000 manats ($29,400) on companies that violate child safety rules.
The proposals were discussed Monday at a joint meeting of three committees of the Milli Majlis, Azerbaijan’s parliament, according to Report.
The draft legislation would amend the Code of Administrative Offenses and laws governing information security and the protection of children from harmful content.
Zahid Oruj, chairman of the parliamentary Human Rights Committee, said the main goal was to protect children under 16 from bullying, sexual exploitation, suicide-related material and other harmful content.
Under the proposed rules, users could independently register on social media platforms starting at age 16.
Teenagers between 16 and 18 would be allowed to create accounts only with the explicit consent of a parent or another legal representative.
Platforms would also be required to disable features considered potentially manipulative for teenage users, including infinite scrolling and automatic video playback.
“If you want to do business in Azerbaijan, you have no right to exploit the psychology of our children,” Oruj said.
Social media companies would have to introduce age-verification systems using tools such as bank cards, email addresses or mobile phone numbers.
Information collected for age verification could not be shared with third parties or used for commercial purposes, including targeted advertising.
Platforms would also be required to operate systems capable of detecting harmful content and stopping its distribution within 24 hours.
The legislation would require companies to submit annual reports to the relevant state authorities by January 15.
Officials who fail to provide requested information, miss reporting deadlines or submit incomplete or misleading data could face fines ranging from 6,000 to 7,000 manats ($3,530 to $4,120). Companies could be fined between 15,000 and 20,000 manats ($8,820 to $11,760).
Failure to respond to a government request within five business days could result in fines of 7,000 to 8,000 manats ($4,120 to $4,710) for officials and 25,000 to 30,000 manats ($14,710 to $17,650) for companies.
More serious violations, including failure to verify age, protect teenage accounts, remove harmful material or safeguard children’s personal data, could carry fines of 8,000 to 9,000 manats ($4,710 to $5,290) for officials and 35,000 to 40,000 manats ($20,590 to $23,530) for companies.
Repeat violations within one year could raise corporate fines to between 45,000 and 50,000 manats ($26,470 to $29,410).
If adopted, the law would take effect 12 months after its official publication.
AZE.US