On Wednesday, the first community meeting was held as part of a wide public consultation process on social media reform, "where the need for better regulation of social media to protect children and vulnerable individuals was confirmed," the government said in a statement.

The meeting, chaired by the Parliamentary Secretary for Equality and Reforms, Rebecca Buttigieg, was attended by parents, young people, senior citizens, social sector workers, broadcasters, academics, NGOs, and professionals, who shared their views in the presence of members of the technical committee overseeing this process, it said.

 Topics discussed included the way some children are accessing social media without supervision, the need for greater awareness among parents, and how algorithms are conditioning and manipulating users.

Suggestions were made that the reform should be implemented cautiously, while others stressed that the education system must prepare children from an early age on how to use social media responsibly.

Other participants raised the reality of bullying on social media and the need to ensure children's health and safety above all else. Some spoke about the importance of children having an active life, including sports and extracurricular activities, to reduce the number of hours spent on social media. 

Parliamentary Secretary Buttigieg said that this meeting complements a series of discussions with stakeholders and experts that the technical committee is holding in connection with the Green Paper published by the Government for public consultation.

She added that, while the Government is following reforms being implemented in several countries, including the European Union, it also wants to hear local ideas and proposals to ensure that the reform reflects local realities.

Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg said that the appointed committee is collecting all feedback and proposals to prepare a report with recommendations for social media reform.

 "This is a reform that affects everyone. From the moment we launched this reform, we have seen an influx of comments from various people. Many spoke to us about social media pressures. At the same time, we cannot say that everything about it is bad. We must recognize that it has both positives and negatives, and we must do something. The question is what we will do, not whether we will do something," said Rebecca Buttigieg.

 She thanked all those who spoke at the meeting and encouraged people to continue contributing throughout the process. She emphasized that the Government's interest is not to curtail freedom of expression, but to ensure that children and vulnerable individuals are protected.

The next meeting on this subject will be held on 4 February at Pjazza 1902 in Pembroke, and those wishing to make a written submission can do so via www.publicconsultation.gov.mt.