President of Kyrgyzstan approves amendments on children's information security

09:42, 15 августа 2023, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Tatyana KUDRYAVTSEVA

The President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed the law on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts (the Code of Offenses, the laws on Measures to Prevent Harm to the Health of Children, Their Physical, Intellectual, Mental, Spiritual and Moral Development and on the Mass Media). The press service of the head of state reported.

The law was adopted to create a safe information environment, ensure, preserve and strengthen the moral, physical, psychological and social health of children and adolescents.

The law on Measures to Prevent Harm to Children’s Health, Their Physical, Intellectual, Mental, Spiritual and Moral Development in the Kyrgyz Republic was supplemented with the concepts «information security of children», «information that is harmful to the health or development of children», «information products», «information products for children». It includes requirements on the need to establish technical restrictions on access to viewing by minors of non-news programs and broadcasts that can harm the physical, intellectual and spiritual development of minors.

The law includes new articles 21 (types of information harmful to the health and development of children) and 31 (additional requirements for the dissemination of information through information and telecommunication networks and for the circulation of information products prohibited for children).

The mass media should not allow the dissemination of information that is harmful to the health and physical, intellectual, mental, spiritual and moral development of children, which is prohibited for dissemination among children.

For the dissemination of information that is harmful to the health or development of children, prohibited for dissemination among children, including using the media and (or) information and telecommunication networks (including the Internet), the perpetrators will be held liable in accordance with the Code of Offenses if these actions do not contain a criminally punishable act.

Information harmful to the health or development of children that is prohibited for dissemination among children includes information:

• Inciting children to commit acts that pose a threat to their life or health, including harm to their health, suicide;
• Capable of causing in children a desire to use narcotic drugs, psychotropic or intoxicating substances, medicines containing narcotic substances, tobacco products, nicotine-containing products, alcoholic and alcohol-containing products, beer and drinks made on its basis, energy drinks, take part in gambling, engage in prostitution, vagrancy or begging;
• Substantiating or justifying the permissibility of violence or cruelty or inciting violent acts against people or animals;
• Denying family and traditional social values, promoting non-traditional sexual relations and forming disrespect for parents or other family members;
• Justifying illegal behavior;
• Containing foul language;
• Containing information of a pornographic nature.

The information, the distribution of which among children of certain age categories is limited, includes information:

• Presented in the form of an image or description of cruelty, physical or mental violence, a crime or other antisocial act: causing fear, horror or panic in children, including provided in the form of an image or description in a degrading form of non-violent death, illness, suicide, incident, accident or catastrophe and their consequences;
• Presented as an image or description of sexual relations between a man and a woman;
• Containing swear words and expressions that are not related to foul language.

«According to the Constitution, children are the most important value of the Kyrgyz Republic. The state creates conditions promoting the versatile spiritual, moral, intellectual and physical development of children, their civil and patriotic education. Every child has the right to a standard of living necessary for his or her physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development,» the statement says.

Earlier, civil society called on the head of state to return the law to the Parliament and finalize it with the participation of experts. The Media Policy Institute drew attention to the fact that under the guise of caring for children, the document introduces censorship. The European Parliament also asked the president to reject the document, as it contains norms that contradict the international obligations of Kyrgyzstan.