Hong Kong considers legislation to regulate minors' social media use

Introducing legislation to protect minors by regulating social media use is among the options on the table, Hong Kong’s justice minister has said, after the latest policy address unveiled plans to create a task force to review the situation.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post and other media outlets on Wednesday, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok dismissed concerns that such measures could infringe on individual rights and freedoms, emphasising that the goal was to protect children from undesirable content such as pornography.

His remarks followed Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s policy address on September 16, when the city leader announced that the government would establish a dedicated task force to look at minors’ social media use.

According to the policy address, the interdepartmental group, spearheaded by the Department of Justice, would review the associated risks of minors’ use of social media and artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, and assess whether legislative and administrative changes were needed.