Minister of Social Affairs to Al-Qabas: Comprehensive plan to protect children from the dangers of the "virtual space"
Faisal Matar: Dr. Amthal Al-Huwailan, Minister of Social Affairs, Family, and Childhood, affirmed that the ministry places great emphasis on child protection, viewing the escalating risks of social media as a primary threat to the psychological, social, and moral security of children. This necessitates an immediate and comprehensive response grounded in legislative, awareness-raising, and supervisory pillars.
Speaking to Al-Qabas, Minister Al-Huwailan stated that the ministry considers electronic blackmail, digital harassment, and cyberbullying as crimes threatening child safety, requiring decisive legal intervention. She also warned against children’s digital isolation, which weakens family bonds and diminishes real-world communication skills. Furthermore, she highlighted the importance of monitoring unethical content that promotes violence, extremism, or behaviors alien to the community’s values and culture.
Regarding the Ministry of Social Affairs’ role in protecting children from social media-related risks and its key programs or initiatives in this regard, Al-Huwailan said: “The Ministry of Social Affairs plays a central role in shielding children from digital dangers through collaboration with relevant authorities to develop preventive mechanisms, update legislative frameworks, and enhance social responsibility. The ministry is currently working on a package of core programs and initiatives, in coordination with relevant entities. These include coordinating studies and approving clear legal regulations and controls aimed at protecting minors from unsafe use of social media platforms, leveraging recent regional trends in regulating the age of use for social networks. It also involves proposing comprehensive amendments to the law to close legal loopholes and expand the umbrella of safety to include protection against psychological abuse and blackmail in virtual spaces. Additionally, awareness campaigns targeting parents are being launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, emphasizing the importance of effective parental supervision and warning against children joining illegal electronic groups.”
On the regional level, the ministry participates in the deliberative sessions of the Executive Office of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Ministers of Social Affairs to exchange expertise and monitor safe internet usage practices. Among its annual programs, the Ministry of Social Affairs, represented by the Directorate of Supervision of Private Nurseries, holds an annual celebration on World Children’s Day, addressing contemporary issues directly affecting children.
**Decisive Legislation**
She added: “We believe the time has come to enact decisive and updated legislation regulating children’s use of social media platforms, including setting a minimum age limit. Therefore, the ministry is strongly advocating for this direction, based on several strategic data points, including support for regional and global initiatives and trends. For instance, the decision issued by the United Arab Emirates banning platform use for individuals under 15, and continuous legislative updates in countries like Britain to tighten supervision over teenagers. These steps represent a model the ministry seeks to emulate to support the issuance of similar local legislation that keeps pace with current challenges. The ministry is also discussing deficiencies in some existing laws. For example, despite the existence of Law No. 21 of 2015 concerning children’s rights and previous Public Prosecution regulations that prohibited account creation for those under 13, current technological advancements and platform algorithms now require raising the minimum age limit and closing legal and enforcement loopholes to protect the emerging generation from escalating psychological and behavioral risks.”
**Cybersecurity**
Al-Huwailan stressed that the ministry is working diligently, in coordination with several national entities, to build a comprehensive strategic system anchored in cybersecurity as the first line of defense to protect childhood in the digital space. These coordinating efforts and current strategic initiatives manifest in several key axes, including the National Program for Family Protection, involving the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs through integrated security and legislative initiatives to close gaps in digital exploitation. Other efforts include the National Classification Project for Electronic Games, and cooperation with the National Cybersecurity Center and the Supreme Council for Family Affairs to build healthy digital habits and launch joint awareness campaigns against unknown links and cybercrimes targeting minors.
In response to Al-Qabas’s question: “Do you have statistics or studies monitoring the impact of social media on children and families in Kuwait? And what are the most prominent findings?”
She replied: “Recent survey and academic studies in Kuwait track alarming indicators regarding the depth of the negative impacts of social media platforms on childhood and family cohesion. The ministry and the country’s educational and research entities rely on these findings to formulate preventive policies and justify the need for strict legislation. There is continuous monitoring by the relevant departments within the ministry, keeping abreast of studies and statistics presented by competent authorities, paying attention to all results revealed by these studies, and working to implement their recommendations in the best interest of the child. The ministry relies on studies and indicators issued by competent authorities and benefits from the results of relevant national research to develop its awareness programs. In the event that new data becomes available, it will be announced through official channels.”
**Minimum Age for Using Digital Platforms**
Dr. Amthal Al-Huwailan, Minister of Social Affairs, affirmed that the ministry embraces and supports the broad societal and academic interaction in Kuwait calling for the imposition of urgent legal restrictions to prevent children under the age of 15 from accessing digital platforms individually and independently without supervision.
She stated: “We believe that any forthcoming legislation should not be limited to merely specifying the age; it must also oblige relevant authorities and platforms to apply strict linking technologies (such as digital identity or civil ID cards) to prevent circumvention and ensure that accounts comply with the prescribed age limits. Drafting this law and determining the minimum age for use constitute a fundamental pillar of Kuwaiti social security, protecting childhood from the scourges of technology and its complex algorithms.”
