Public consultation on social media reform begins

The government has begun a series of consultation meetings on proposed reforms to social media regulation aimed at increasing protection for children and vulnerable people, following the launch of a public consultation earlier this year.

The first consultation meeting was held this week with representatives from entities involved in child protection within the Ministry for Social Policy and Children’s Rights, as well as members of the technical committee tasked with drafting the reform proposals. According to the ministry, there was broad agreement on the need for concrete measures to address the risks associated with social media use.

The meeting was chaired by Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon and Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg, with discussions focusing on the challenges faced by authorities in their day-to-day work and how the reform could provide additional tools to address online harm.

Participants agreed that the reform should strike a balance between improving safeguards and preserving access to modern means of communication, the ministry said.

Falzon said the aim of the reform is to strengthen protection against harmful online content, building on existing legislation that already criminalises cyberbullying, cyberstalking and the use of fake profiles. He said the consultation phase is intended to gather feedback from stakeholders before moving towards implementation of agreed recommendations.

Buttigieg described the reform as complex, noting that there is no single solution to the problems associated with online abuse. She said the consultation had highlighted real cases involving victims of abuse, underlining the need for carefully considered measures to make the online environment safer.

A technical committee appointed to draft recommendations has begun receiving public submissions through the government’s consultation portal, publicconsultation.gov.mt, as part of a green paper process on social media reform. The consultation will remain open until 27 February, and two community meetings are also planned to allow members of the public to share their views directly.

The government said feedback from the consultation will inform the final set of proposals to be presented for implementation.