Parental Consent Proposed for Social Media Users Under 16 in Lithuania

New Regulation for Digital Safety A new legal regulation has been proposed in Lithuania aimed at ensuring the digital safety of children and combating internet addiction.
The proposal seeks to mandate parental consent for individuals under the age of 16 to access social media platforms.
Security Risks and Dangerous Content During a press conference, Member of Parliament Daiva Ulbinaite highlighted the urgent need for intervention.
She noted that dangerous online content can encourage children to engage in self-harm, with some cases tragically resulting in death.
Ulbinaite emphasized that the current digital environment poses significant risks to minors.
Addiction Symptoms Observed in Schools Rasa Jauniskiene, head of the Digital Ethics Center, expressed support for the proposal, stating that mobile phone bans in schools have clearly revealed the extent of addiction among children.
Jauniskiene reported that some students exhibited physical withdrawal symptoms when separated from their devices.
"Some students were shaking, hitting lockers, and could not stay still.
It becomes almost impossible to identify those developing an addiction while the phone is still in the child's hand," Jauniskiene stated.
Sanctions for Technology Companies If the proposal becomes law, technology companies that fail to establish effective age verification mechanisms or process children's data without parental consent will face heavy administrative sanctions.
The move is part of a broader effort to hold digital platforms accountable for the safety of young users.