State Secretary Josep Anton Bardina calls for measured steps like specialized SIM cards over outright bans
to protect children online, addressing the parent-child digital gap.
Key Points
- Advocates concrete safeguards like minors' SIM cards blocking harmful sites, in development for over a year.
- Rejects easy bans; emphasizes protecting minors without hasty decisions.
- Highlights digital gap: parents seek schools' help monitoring kids' online activity.
- Open to restrictions if needed for better child protection.
Andorra la Vella's State Secretary for Education and Universities, Josep Anton Bardina, urged a measured approach to proposals for banning social media among children and young people during a Tuesday appearance on the radio programme *Avui serà un bon dia*.
Bardina described the debate as lacking an easy solution, while agreeing that protecting minors online should guide all efforts. He advised against immediately approving or rejecting an outright ban, advocating instead for concrete steps to enhance internet safeguards for young users.
The official pointed to collaborative work underway for over a year between the government and private institutions on a specialised SIM card for minors. This device is intended to prevent children and youths from accessing certain websites while browsing.
Bardina also addressed the digital gap between parents and children, a challenge increasingly visible in schools. He noted that families are often the first to seek guidance on monitoring their children's online activity, adding that this task falls not only to educational centres but also to households.
If restrictions prove necessary for better protection, he said, measures involving limitation or blocking access would not be unwelcome.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: