BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 9. Protecting children
from harmful influences on social networking platforms is no longer
just a family or educational issue, but one of the most important
aspects of information security, Chairman of the Temporary
Commission against Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats of the
Azerbaijani Parliament, Ramid Namazov, said, Trend's correspondent reports
from the event.


The MP made the remark during a public debate in the parliament
on the topic "Digital development, artificial intelligence and
protecting children from harmful effects on social network
platforms."


He noted that the risks of cyberbullying, age-inappropriate
content, and online exploitation faced by children on social media
platforms necessitate more precise regulatory mechanisms:


''When talking about cybersecurity, the protection of state
systems, financial infrastructure, and critical facilities is
usually brought to the fore. However, there is another, perhaps the
most important dimension of information security. This is the issue
of protecting our children, the most vulnerable members of society,
in a rapidly changing digital environment,'' he explained.


According to the official, children and teenagers face the risk
of cyberbullying, cyberharassment, exposure to age-inappropriate
content, and being targeted by online predators on social media
platforms.


Moreover, Namazov pointed out that many families in Azerbaijan
are not fully aware of these risks or do not have the necessary
tools to effectively monitor their children's online
activities.


''In addition, comparing themselves to negative images of other
users that don't reflect reality leads to problems such as social
media addiction, depression, and anxiety in children and
teenagers,'' he said.


Namazov noted that in Azerbaijan, children's access to
age-appropriate information and protection from harmful information
is still legally regulated by the law "On the protection of
children from harmful information", adopted in 2018.


''However, according to him, social networking platforms have
transformed in recent years from simple communication tools into
complex ecosystems controlled by algorithms and, in many cases,
using manipulative design solutions. This transformation
necessitates more precise regulatory mechanisms,'' he
mentioned.


The commission head highlighted that, according to Google, more
than 15.8 million YouTube channels were closed worldwide in 2025
for violating community rules, and more than 245.7 million YouTube
videos were deleted. More than 24.1 million of them were related to
the safety of children.


''These are quite large numbers. Imagine if other platforms also
publish the statistics about children, everyone would realize how
critical the situation is. Google publishes these statistics, while
other platforms don't,'' Namazov added.