Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545479
MORE than a year after govern- ment promised to keep young children off social media, Malta still has no law and no answer to the question that decides everything—can a ban be en- forced? The promise dates to Octo- ber 2025, when Robert Abela said Malta would model so- cial media age regulations on Australia's, which became the first country to ban under-16s. Britain plans to follow in early 2027, with Canada, Brazil and several EU states drawing up their own limits. Malta began with under-13s and a consultation that closed in February, then set up a technical committee. What remains unexplained is how a ban would work. Indeed, the experts say writing the law was never the hard part. Why is a ban on the table? The case for acting rests on a growing body of data. A Eu- rope-wide Eurobarometer sur- vey this month found nine in 10 adolescents report at least one screen-related symptom, and nearly one in three feel stressed, sad or excluded be- cause of social media. In the survey, 57% of Mal- tese 13- to 18-year-olds say they spend too much time on screens, above the EU average of 41%. They view social me- dia more positively than peers: 80% believe it benefits their well-being, compared to 48% across the EU, and they report fewer physical symptoms. Donatella Agius, a psycholo- gist, says that fits what she sees. Social media rarely causes harm on its own but amplifies existing vulnerabilities, sharp- ening anxiety, body image and sleep problems in children al- ready struggling, she says. She warns against blaming it alone for a generation also hit by the pandemic and academic pressure, and says no single age marks the point at which the platforms become harmful. Can the technology even do it? This is where promise meets reality. Alexiei Dingli, profes- sor of artificial intelligence at the University of Malta, says a workable system needs far more than a law. The aim can- not be a perfect barrier, which is impossible, but one that "sig- nificantly reduces underage ac- cess while remaining practical, secure, and respectful of priva- cy", he says. None is foolproof. ID checks are the most reliable, and AI estimation from a selfie has improved, but the hard task, Dingli notes, is not telling a child from an adult; it is telling a 12-year-old from a 13-year- old, exactly where the legal line falls. Users get around all of it anyway, with a VPN, a borrowed device or a sibling's account, so the aim is friction, not a wall. Nor need age checks harvest a child's data, he adds. "Malta's identity numbers, as- signed at birth, give it a foun- dation to verify age." The enforcement problem Even a sound system hits the same wall since the plat- forms are global, and Malta is very small. Governments can- not control accounts directly, Dingli notes; they can only re- quire platforms to verify ages, 6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 JUNE 2026 ANALYSIS Expression of Interest Excavation, Construction and Finishing Works of a New Substation at Triq Emvin Cremona, Floriana (Ref: EOI 003/2026) The Planning Authority is hereby inviting economic operators to participate in this expression of interest for the excavation, construction and finishing works of a new substation at Triq Emvin Cremona, Floriana. The Expression of Interest document can be downloaded from the Authority website on the following link: http://www.pa.org.mt/en/expression-of-interests Offers are to be deposited in the quotations box at the Authority offices at 3, Triq Fra Diegu, Marsa MRS 1501 by Wednesday, 8th July 2026 before 10:00 am. A visit to the site of the proposed works will be held on Thursday, 25th June 2026 at 10:00 am, at the Planning Authority, St Francis Ditch, Floriana. Any requests for clarifications concerning this Expression of Interest should be addressed to the Director of Corporate Services on email tenders@pa.org.mt by not later than Tuesday, 30th June 2026. Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered. www.pa.org.mt PLANNING AUTHOR ITY Malta wants to keep children off social Government has promised legislation to ban social media for children. Juliana Zammit asks the technologists, Left to right: Momentum Secretary General Mark Camilleri Gambin, professor of Artificial Intelligence, psychiatrist Donatella Agius, Alexiei Dingli and technology lawyer and president of the Malta IT Law Association Antonio Ghio