Regulating Children's Use of Electronic Platforms in Kuwait: Coming Soon
The Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Affairs and Acting Minister of Information and Culture, Omar Al-Omar, stressed that the Family Protection Program represents a new model of joint government action, affirming that it is the first program overseen by more than one government entity, with multiple agencies collaborating in planning and implementation, reflecting the integration and alignment of government bodies in adopting similar programs in the future. Al-Omar stated that protecting the family is not the responsibility of a single government entity, but rather an issue involving the overlapping jurisdictions of several agencies and having multiple dimensions, which requires collective effort and prioritizing this file.
Regarding electronic platforms, Al-Omar emphasized the need for coordination with the Central Agency for Information Technology and the utilization of existing agreements with Microsoft and Google. He noted that the current government approach is to avoid creating new government applications, relying instead on the “Sahel” application as the unified government platform for service delivery, while highlighting that regulations on children’s use of electronic platforms will be issued soon.
On the regulation of children’s use of electronic platforms, Al-Omar said that issuing legislation and decisions represents the easier part, while the real challenges lie in implementation mechanisms, how to compel companies to comply, and imposing penalties on violators, particularly companies not based in Kuwait. He clarified that the government is studying several mechanisms to benefit from the experiences of other countries, whether European or sister states such as the United Arab Emirates, which has established a timeline for implementing this type of regulation. He pointed out that the Minister of Justice plays a clear role in preparing and implementing legal frameworks for child and family protection, in cooperation with the National Cybersecurity Center and the Communications Authority. He added that a decision regulating children’s electronic usage is expected to be issued shortly.
