The ban on communityists for Polish children is coming

To the Warsaw Parliament affected a petition to amend the Act on Electronic Services. Its author calls for the introduction of a clear provision of binding social networks operating in Poland to set the minimum age of users at the level of 16 years. Although usually specified actions hit the wall of indifference of deputies, this time it was different. Effective Australian solutions were an example.

The ban on communityists for Polish children is coming. On 11 December last year, the Polish legislature received a petition to ban the usage of social networks by children. A fewer days later, as already on 18 December, the paper was addressed to the Committee on Petitions, which means that the proposal did not just stay the voice of the citizen but became the subject of a formal parliamentary analysis.

The starting point for petitioners is the intellectual wellness of children and younger teenagers. In the document, the age of 16 does not appear accidentally, but as a vital minute for cognitive development. "The age of 16 is an crucial frontier in the improvement of prefrontal cortex, liable for rational decisions, impulse control and critical thinking" – reads the petition available on the legislature website.

The petitioners pointed out that people below this age are peculiarly susceptible to behavioural addictions, including excessive usage of social media. The paper evokes technological research, including conducted by the American intellectual Association, which shows the link between intense presence on social platforms and the increase in depression and anxiety conditions in this age group.

From the point of view of technological business, a part of the petition on the work of platforms is crucial. The petitioner points out that younger users are peculiarly exposed to cyberbullying, grooming, contact with pornographic content, self-inflicted materials or misinformation. The paper besides contains the subject of utilizing the image, including utilizing Deepfake technology.

The introduction of a mandatory age limit of 16 would force technology companies to usage more stringent methods of age verification and more effective content moderation, thereby expanding safety standards for underage users. The main request is to impose a legal work to verify age. Not on parents, but on platforms. present the procedures are symbolic, just enter the appropriate date of birth. The change will require tools to confirm age, better average content, reporting and safety audits.

Let us remind – recently, akin solutions have been successfully introduced by Australia. The effect is to be saved – children alternatively of “sitting with their heads in smartphones”, returned to average interactions between themselves.

We hope that akin regulations will be introduced in Poland. However, knowing the legal level of our Parliament, we are afraid that the possible amendment of the Electronic Services Act will not be a legal buffer.

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