El-Adly said parliament has not yet reached the stage of preparing a draft law, noting that discussions so far have focused on launching a broad societal dialogue to define the scope and objectives of any future legislation.
Speaking on Al-Nahar TV’s Al-Soura ma‘a Lamis El-Hadidy, she said protecting children from online risks requires inclusive consultation. She added that she began following the issue about a year and a half ago within the House’s Culture and Media Committee after several incidents linked to online challenges.
She said the committee spent a full year holding meetings with representatives from more than half of Egypt’s government institutions, including the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA), the ministries of culture, education, health, and youth, as well as the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM).
El-Adly said the discussions revealed a significant gap in official data, with no clear statistics on the number of children using the internet or social media, or on cases of psychological harm or violence linked to online activity.
She stressed that addressing this gap is essential for producing a realistic and enforceable law, noting that the objective is not to restrict children’s access to the internet but to protect them from the health and social risks associated with its misuse, particularly as children adopt digital technology at increasingly younger ages.
While Egyptian law defines a child as anyone under 18, she said mobile phones and social media platforms are widely used by children from a very early age, sometimes as young as one or two.
The House of Representatives said on Sunday that the state is moving toward drafting legislation to regulate children’s use of social media platforms and applications, adding that parliament will hold expanded societal dialogue sessions through its specialised committees to gather views from all relevant state institutions.
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has urged the government and parliament to examine international experiences, including Australia’s restrictions on mobile phone use for certain age groups, during a speech marking the 74th anniversary of Police Day in Cairo.
Several countries have moved in recent years to study and regulate children’s online activity, relying on data collection, research, and phased regulation rather than outright bans.
At the European Union level, child protection has been addressed through the Digital Services Act (DSA), which obliges online platforms likely to be accessed by minors to adopt safeguards proportionate to identified risks.
The European Commission has issued guidelines based on consultations, research, and youth-focused studies, while European Union (EU) institutions continue to examine age-verification and age-assurance mechanisms amid concerns over privacy and enforcement.
In the United Kingdom, the Online Safety Act is being implemented in stages, with the regulator Ofcom requiring platforms to assess whether their services are accessible to children and to demonstrate how risks are mitigated.
British authorities have emphasised the need for evidence-based assessments and data reporting as prerequisites for enforcement.
In Paris, French lawmakers have approved legislation banning children under 15 from using social media, a move backed by President Emmanuel Macron as a key step to shield minors from the harmful effects of excessive screen time.
The National Assembly passed the bill by 130 votes to 21 during an extended session that ran from Monday into Tuesday. The text will now be referred to the Senate, France’s upper house, before it can be enacted.
Macron hailed the vote as a “major step” in protecting children and adolescents, writing on X that the legislation responds to growing concerns over digital harms.
The bill also includes a ban on mobile phone use in high schools, placing France among the most restrictive countries in this area, following Australia’s decision in December to bar social media use for children under 16.
The legislation comes amid rising concern in France and elsewhere over the impact of prolonged screen time on child development and mental health.
Outside Europe, Australia has been widely referenced as a case study after several states introduced bans or tight restrictions on mobile phone use in schools beginning in 2019.
The measures followed government-backed research linking excessive smartphone use to declining concentration, mental health concerns, and classroom disruption.
Australian authorities framed the policies as harm-reduction tools grounded in data, triggering a broader national debate on platform responsibility and child-safe digital design rather than blanket internet bans.
International organisations such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development have also mapped regulatory approaches across member states, highlighting the importance of reliable data on children’s digital behaviour as a foundation for effective and enforceable legislation.
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