Parliamentary Secretary for Equality and Reforms Rebecca Buttigieg announced the establishment of a committee of experts to study and make recommendations to the government on how society, particularly the most vulnerable, should be protected from the negative impacts of social media.

Buttigieg made the announcement in a speech during a conference organised by Times of Malta in collaboration with the Parliamentary Secretariat, which discussed the effects of social media, particularly on children and adolescents.

She said that this initiative is a result of the national family plan, which provides for the start of discussions on enforcing age restrictions for social media use so that children are protected from harmful content.

Buttigieg said that Malta needs to follow measures already implemented in countries such as Australia, England, and Germany.

Minister for Social Policy and Children’s Rights Michael Falzon said that this exercise will not be easy, as it requires the cooperation of large international companies that run these social media platforms.

Falzon said that government has already amended the Criminal Code to include cyberbullying and cyberstalking offenses, but added that there is other content on social media platforms that causes significant harm, which must be addressed and cannot in any way be considered censorship.

He said that these dangers will increase with Artificial Intelligence technology, which, while containing many benefits, also carries its own risks.

The conference was also addressed by the Commissioner for Intergenerational Justice, Youth, and Culture Glen Micallef who said that the solution needs to be holistic, include regulation and education, and the direct participation of children and young people themselves.

“This is why discussions like today’s are essential, as they inform and guide our policy,” Micallef said.

During the conference, invited experts discussed the positive and negative effects social media has on society.

The committee appointed to study and make proposals for social media reforms will be led by Buttigieg and the members are Professor Matthew Montebello, Rev. Dr Jean Govè, Dr Josianne Cutajar, Martina Mallia, and Glen Sultana, all of whom have various expertise in social media and digital technology.

In parallel with the conference, an online public opinion survey conducted by Times of Malta showed that more than 80% of over 2,000 respondents supported regulating social media platforms.