You have reached the limit of 2 free articles this month. Vietnam is moving toward stricter internet management with a new draft amendment that would place significant restrictions on social media users under the age of 16. Under the proposed rules, children in this age group would be barred from posting, commenting, sharing, or reacting to content on social media platforms, effectively limiting their experience to viewing content only. The initiative was discussed during a meeting on Thursday, where Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, deputy director of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information, outlined that accounts for users under 16 must be registered using the information of a parent or guardian. This adult would be legally responsible for supervising both the time spent on the platform and the content the child accesses.
The draft amendment also requires social media companies to identify child users and ensure they are exposed only to age-appropriate material. Deputy Culture Minister Phan Tam emphasized at the meeting that the government's primary objective is to protect children from risks such as cyberbullying, online fraud, and exposure to pornography, rather than imposing a total ban on access. In addition to social media, the draft proposes regulations for online gaming, including requirements for operators to verify user ages, register under-16 accounts through guardians, and limit gaming time to a maximum of 60 minutes per day.
These proposed measures reflect a broader regional and global trend. Within Southeast Asia, Indonesia on March 28 became the first nation to ban under 16s from having accounts on what it termed “high-risk” digital platforms, which include YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox. Malaysia started enforcing a similar ban on June 1. Globally, countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, China, India, and several European nations have introduced or announced various curbs. Australia, in particular, enacted the world’s first social media ban for under-16s last December, a policy that forces firms to block youth accounts entirely.
However, the effectiveness of such mandates remains a point of debate. Recent reports from Australia indicate that implementation has been hindered by low compliance and efforts to circumvent the rules, leading the government to double penalties for breaches to A$99 million. In Vietnam, where Facebook boasts approximately 89 million registered accounts and TikTok has an estimated 80 million users, industry experts have raised concerns regarding enforcement. Nguyen Thu Thao, Meta’s public policy director for Vietnam, noted that platforms currently rely on behavioral patterns to identify child users. She warned that if children transition to using social media only passively, these behavioral signals would disappear, potentially weakening the platforms' ability to protect them online.
According to a draft amendment to a decree on internet management, the new rules would bar children under the age of 16 from posting, commenting, sharing, or reacting on social media, leaving them able only to view content, Vietnamese state media reported on Friday.
Unlike in Australia, which introduced the world’s first social media ban for under 16s last year, the measures will stop short of a full prohibition.
