The Russian Government approves a strategy to protect children from harmful information

05.05.2023

The strategy spells out ways in which children and teenagers can be protected from harmful information.

According to the State’s Telegram channel, Russia has approved a revised strategy to protect the online safety of children in which the Government has outlined its plans to improve schoolchildren’s digital literacy, to teach them how to be safe when using the internet, as well as developing important social programmes in print and via electronic media.

“Children can encounter a variety of dangers online such as abusers who pose as their peers to access a child’s personal data or ask about their family, then use this information to manipulate them for criminal purposes”, the Government channel explains.

The main objective of the strategy is to protect children from “information threats and risks”, stating that the effect of harmful information creates a false perception among children of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values”. One of the priorities cited is expanding the range of parental control features on landline and mobile devices used by children.

Parents, teachers, children’s librarians and other professionals will receive regular training on how to keep children safe online.

The regions have been advised to have regard to the strategy when introducing measures to ensure a child’s safety and to submit annual reports on their implementation to the Ministry of Finance.

The document to protect children from harmful information is the second version of the strategy. The first was approved by the Government in December 2015 and revised last year by order of Vladimir Putin. It is expected to remain in force indefinitely.

Source: https://www.asi.org.ru/news/2023/05/05/info-bezopasnost/