Kazakhstan's President Tokayev proposes ban on social media for children under 16

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for a ban on social media registration for individuals under the age of 16, emphasizing the critical need to safeguard the psychological well-being of the younger generation. Tokayev stated that social networks, digital platforms, artificial intelligence, and aggressive marketing significantly influence children's worldviews, impacting their emotional stability and moral education.

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Social networks, digital platforms, artificial intelligence, and aggressive marketing influence children's worldviews no less than family and school. The psychological well-being, emotional stability, and moral education of the younger generation have already become vital factors for national security and the country's sustainable development.

He highlighted that these factors are now vital for national security and the country's sustainable development. The existing 2018 law on protecting children from harmful information requires significant amendments to address modern realities. A bill proposing the ban for users under 16 was submitted to Parliament in June, and Tokayev urged deputies to consider it.

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I believe it is time for us to move from addressing consequences to preventing threats to children's psychological state; otherwise, this could negatively impact social stability.

Tokayev noted that many advanced nations have already implemented similar measures. He believes Kazakhstan should shift from addressing consequences to preventing threats to children's psychological states, which could otherwise negatively affect social stability. The government is tasked with filtering content and cannot solely rely on parental responsibility.

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The government should take measures to filter content for the protection of children. We cannot rely solely on parental responsibility for several well-known and quite objective reasons.

To further bolster child protection, the Head of State instructed the scaling up of mandatory children's SIM cards, designed to provide "information immunity." Discussions on restricting social media for minors have been ongoing since last year, with a draft law proposing the ban, excluding instant messaging services, published in December 2025.

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Therefore, I instruct the scaling up of mandatory children's SIM cards, which can provide 'information immunity.'