Developing Procedures to Safeguard Children from Harmful Online Content

 A recent meeting was convened to establish a procedure focused on the "prevention and protection of children from prohibited and harmful content in the internet environment." The revised Law on Child Protection, endorsed by the Parliament on January 17, 2024, has broadened the scope of safeguarding children in media, broadcasting, and the electronic/internet sphere. Consequently, corresponding penalties have been incorporated into the Law on Violations.

Key provisions outlined in the law include:

• Prohibition of exposing children to harmful content that can negatively impact their well-being, upbringing, and development in various settings such as homes, educational institutions, schools, and boarding schools.
• Ban on online activities that involve trapping, bullying, or harassing children.
• Responsibility of media, broadcasting, and electronic service providers to refrain from disseminating prohibited content and to actively monitor, restrict, and block harmful material.
• Requirement for internet service providers to employ technological measures to limit the distribution of harmful and prohibited content for children online, as per decisions made by authorized organizations.
• Mandate for broadcasting service providers to display age classification labels before airing content to the public.

 In preparation for the enforcement of these regulations, a working group meeting was held jointly by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protecion of Mongolia, Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs of Mongolia, and Ministry of Digital Development and Communication of Mongolia on May 7, 2024. During the meeting, the following key decisions were made:

•  Approval of the composition and operational procedures of an informal council tasked with assessing the potential harm of content distributed by media, multi-channel transmission, and electronic media service providers in the electronic and broadcasting realms.
• Discussion of the work plan and proposals for developing the "Procedures for the Prevention and Protection of Children from Forbidden and Harmful Content in the Electronic Environment" by the Ministers of Labour and Social Protecion of Mongolia, of Justice and Home Affairs of Mongolia, and Digital Development and Communication of Mongolia. A sub-working group was assigned to further this initiative.

This meeting marks a significant step towards safeguarding children from detrimental content in the digital landscape and ensuring a safer online environment for their growth and development.