Politics

The Sri Lankan government is looking into limiting social media access for kids under 12 years old, according to Minister of Women and Child Affairs Savithri Paulraj. She mentioned that talks about this issue have started. The government is considering a total ban on mobile phone use for children under 12, as well as steps to prevent them from using social media. Minister Paulraj highlighted that many countries have already made laws to limit social media for school-aged children, and Sri Lanka is reviewing these examples. She emphasized the need for these restrictions due to an increase in harmful and abusive events related to children's use of the internet. In addition, the government plans to create new laws to tackle cybercrimes affecting children, which has already been approved by the Cabinet. The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) received 10,455 complaints regarding children in 2025. Out of these, 8,514 complaints were under the NCPA Act, while 1,941 were outside its authority. Among these cases, there were 545 complaints of sexual harassment and 231 concerning serious sexual abuse. The NCPA also reported 79 teenage pregnancies and three abortions last year. Other reported incidents included nine child marriages, 38 cases of rape, 150 instances of cyber abuse against children, and 20 attempts of child suicide in 2025. The NCPA also noted 42 complaints about children without birth certificates and nine cases of children under five left behind when their parents moved abroad.