The Minister of Youth considered this Friday that limiting access to social networks for young people must be coordinated at the level of European Union (EU), but recognizes that “there are benefits” in starting the discussion at national level and admits that the government can move forward even without Europe and legislate.
“I’m not saying it’s a no-no” moving forward with legislation at national level, he said, “but we consider it important to articulate and coordinate with our European countries.”
“I think it will always – more than being a matter of national scope – have to be analyzed in the European context”, he insisted Margarida Balseiro Lopesasked about the proposal from Denmark to limit the access of teenagers and children to social networks and the position of the European Parliament, which calls for a ban on access to children under 16.
The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports is in Brussels as part of a ministerial meeting and argued that there are “benefits in discussing” a possible prohibition of access to social networks for young peoplelooking at “scientific evidence” about the negative consequences of exposure to these digital platforms that can encourage dependence and expose children and adolescents to illicit content that distorts reality.
However, the government official commented that the work cannot only be carried out by the Government and schools, it must “involve families”, since cell phones (which today allow unimpeded access to social networks) are given by families to minors: “They were not given by schools.”