Prime Minister announces Malta set to introduce social media age restrictions

Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced that Malta will introduce social media age regulations, with initial restrictions for users under 13 that may be extended to older age groups.

"We are looking at children aged 13 and under, and this measure could be extended further," Abela said during a Labour Party discussion on job and family guarantees, adding that details will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Prime Minister said the move follows discussions with international leaders about protecting children from social media's harmful effects, referencing a mother's testimony at a recent conference who lost her daughter to suicide after social media bullying by supposed friends.

Abela also announced significant success with the Labour migration policy's enforcement of disability employment regulations, revealing that 227 companies have come forward to comply with hiring requirements, contributing over one million euros for disability training programmes.

"We have a legal obligation that companies employing more than 20 people must have 2% of their workforce as people with disabilities, but for years, companies were ignoring this obligation," he said.

The breakthrough came when the Labour migration policy introduced a new principle that companies failing to meet disability employment quotas cannot hire new foreign workers. This single measure prompted the 227 companies to comply with regulations they had previously ignored.

Abela appealed to all employers to hire people with disabilities rather than simply contributing, drawing on his personal experience with the Lino Spiteri Foundation. "People with disabilities give added value in the workplace and are productive in their work," he said.

The Prime Minister also announced the introduction of surrogacy leave, stating that a recent meeting with parents undergoing surrogacy convinced him of the need to ensure equality for all people seeking parenthood. "We recognise the principle of equality between all parents regardless of the method of birth," he said.

Other upcoming announcements include the formal establishment of a credit review office to help small businesses secure bank loans, and Malta's first high-performance computer to be housed at the University of Malta.

During the event, Abela made a strong appeal in the national interest for the Opposition to withdraw a European Parliament debate against Malta. He criticised Nationalist Party MEPs, particularly David Casa, for working for months on a resolution against the country whilst Opposition leader Bernard Grech remained silent during his Brussels visit this week.

"Instead of making an effort so this debate doesn't happen and appealing to his European Parliament members to withdraw this debate against our country, he does nothing," Abela said. He announced that Parliament would hold a counter-debate in favour of Malta on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister also highlighted how workers lost substantial leave entitlements under the previous Nationalist government when public holidays fell on weekends. "The Nationalist Party stole leave days from our workers - 48 days of leave that fell on public holidays over two years. We gave those days back to the people," he said.

On economic performance, Abela noted that Malta's average wage has increased by €10,000 in recent years whilst achieving full employment. He contrasted this with troubling realities elsewhere in Europe, particularly Germany, where thousands of workers are experiencing job losses.

The Labour migration policy has also addressed sector-specific needs. In construction, where a labour market study revealed excess foreign workers, the government introduced controls and limitations. Conversely, sectors like healthcare and elderly care continue to require foreign worker participation.

Abela concluded by defending Malta's rule of law improvements and announcing continued investment in digital infrastructure, family support measures, and economic growth strategies that have positioned Malta as a European success story according to international institutions.