The Online Safety Commission says any move to ban social media use for children under the age of 16 must be grounded in evidence, not emotion, and must protect the constitutional rights of all Fijians.

Responding to Minister for Information Lynda Tabuya’s recent call to consider a ban, Commissioner Filipe Batiwale says Fiji must avoid reactionary measures that could have long-term consequences on freedom of expression, media access and the digital economy.

This issue is being discussed as Australia has put a ban on social media for children.

The Online Safety Commission Commissioner Filipe Batiwale [file photo]

Effective December 10th, social media companies operating in Australia must implement “reasonable steps” to prevent users under 16 from creating accounts.

Batiwale says that while the Commission acknowledges the concerns raised by the Minister, their mandate under the Online Safety Act requires them to provide technical, operational and evidence-based advice on online harm, and not support policies that may infringe constitutional rights.

“Responsible digital policy must be grounded in evidence, not on emotion. And in constitutional rights, it should never be impulsive. There should be tailored solutions to Fiji’s context.”

Batiwale adds that Fiji simply does not have the manpower, technology or resources to enforce a national ban — and even if it did, young people would likely find ways around it.

Minister for Information Lynda Tabuya [file photo]

Minister Tabuya maintains that concerns raised by parents are real, especially the ease with which children can access pornography and harmful online material.

“There are TikTokers who use the platform for good entertainment and positive content, and we acknowledge that, but we need to work harder to deal with those abusing TikTok before considering any ban.”

She says the Anti-Pornography Task Force, co-chaired by the Ministry of Women and the Ministry of Communications, continues to look at ways to restrict children’s access to explicit content.

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