Azerbaijan is planning to ban the creation of social media accounts for individuals under the age of 16, with strict fines and technical restrictions for violators. The proposed amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, the laws “On Information, Informatization and Protection of Information” and “On Protection of Children from Harmful Information” were discussed at a joint meeting of the Milli Majlis committees on human rights, family, women and children, and legal policy and state building, local agencies Trend and Report reported.
If adopted, the new rules will take effect 12 months after official publication. All existing accounts of users under 16 will be subject to mandatory blocking or deletion unless owners confirm their real age.
According to the bill, independent registration on platforms with age restrictions will be allowed only from age 16. Citizens aged 16 to 18 may create personal digital accounts only with the consent of legal representatives, primarily parents.
To enforce age limits, providers will be required to apply sequential technical verification methods: user age declaration, provision of email and mobile phone number, and verification via bank card with a charge and subsequent refund.
For accounts of users aged 16-18, the use of manipulative design methods that cause addiction is banned. Platforms must disable autoplay of the next video and infinite scrolling, so that teenagers must consciously press a button to continue viewing content.
Providers must offer parental control functionality for content, advertising, and online time, and implement continuous digital solutions to remove harmful content within 24 hours of detection.
The authorities justify the restrictions by the need to protect minors from cyberbullying, suicide incitement, sexual exploitation, and other destructive content. Chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee on Human Rights Zahid Oruj stated that foreign tech giants should not exploit children's fragile psychology for commercial activities.
A December 2025 survey by the Center for Social Research found that 87.3% of the population and 90.5% of schoolchildren's parents supported the regulation.
To compel foreign tech companies to comply, the bill requires them to open an official representative office or register a legal entity in Azerbaijan.
For non-compliance with safe platform use rules, including lack of age verification or failure to remove dangerous content within 24 hours, fines for officials range from $7,400 to $5,200, for legal entities from $20,500 to $23,500, and up to $29,400 for repeat violations within a year. For ignoring official requests within five working days, legal entities face fines from $14,700 to $17,600.
Source: podrobno.uz