Roskomnadzor, Russia’s federal media regulator, has sent a bill to the information policy committee of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, proposing mandatory identification of children on social networks, the Russian business daily Vedomosti reported, citing a statement by a regulator representative at the committee meeting.
The agency also proposed limiting the amount of time children under 14 are allowed online. A Roskomnadzor representative said the measure is meant to restrict children’s access to banned content.
The Internal Affairs Ministry announced it is concerned about children and teenagers being drawn into offenses and crimes through social networks, messaging apps, forums, and gaming chats.
According to the ministry, the most common crimes children are drawn into are acting as “droppers” and giving third parties access to their own accounts.
The Digital Development Ministry announced as far back as June that it is considering introducing age verification mechanisms for users of online platforms. Its head, Maksut Shadayev, said the ministry is studying how other countries have approached the issue.
Various restrictions on children and teenagers’ access to social media are being discussed worldwide. Since late 2025, a law banning social media for children under 16 has been in effect in Australia. Similar restrictions are being discussed in the UK and EU countries, including France and Spain.
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at reports@meduza.io.
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.