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Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, has sent a bill to a State Duma committee proposing mandatory identification of children on social networks and limits on how long children under 14 can spend online. The proposals are intended to restrict children’s access to banned content, but the bill’s details, timetable and enforcement mechanisms have not been reported.
Russia’s Roskomnadzor has sent a bill to a committee of the State Duma proposing mandatory identification of children on social networks and limits on the online time of children under 14, according to the Russian business daily Vedomosti. The proposals could add new age checks and usage restrictions for young people, but they have not been reported as adopted law.
Vedomosti reported the bill’s referral, citing a statement from a Roskomnadzor representative at a meeting of the State Duma’s information policy committee. The reported proposals include identifying children on social networks and restricting how much time under-14s may spend online. The source report did not specify a daily or weekly time allowance.
A Roskomnadzor representative said the proposed restrictions are intended to limit children’s access to banned content. The report did not detail how platforms would verify a user’s age, what information they would have to collect, or how the proposed time limits would be monitored.
Russia’s Internal Affairs Ministry separately said it was concerned about children and teenagers being drawn into offenses through social networks, messaging apps, online forums and gaming chats. The ministry said common forms of involvement include acting as “droppers”—people used to move funds—and giving third parties access to their accounts. That statement describes the ministry’s concerns; it does not establish that the proposed bill would prevent such crimes.
Age Checks Could Reshape Access
If lawmakers advance the proposals, social media services could face new obligations to identify younger users and restrict their time online. That would make the bill relevant not only to children and parents, but also to platforms that may need to change registration, age-check and account-management processes. The report provides no estimate of the technical or financial burden.
The stated aim is to curb children’s exposure to banned material. At the same time, age identification and time limits could affect how young users access services and what personal information platforms handle. The available reporting does not explain what privacy safeguards, exceptions or appeal routes the bill might include. Those details matter to judging how the proposal would work in practice.
The ministry’s concerns about recruitment into offenses give the discussion a public-safety dimension, but the report does not provide figures on the scale of the problem or evidence that screen-time limits would address it. The proposal’s stated purpose and the ministry’s separate warning should not be treated as proof of the measure’s likely effect.
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Earlier Russian Age-Check Discussions
The proposal follows an earlier discussion inside the Russian government. In June, the Digital Development Ministry said it was considering age-verification mechanisms for users of online platforms. Minister Maksut Shadayev said the ministry was studying approaches taken by other countries. The report does not say whether that work directly produced the Roskomnadzor bill or whether the two initiatives have been formally coordinated.
Restrictions on young people’s social media use are also under discussion abroad. According to the report, an Australian law banning social media for children under 16 had been in effect since late 2025; similar restrictions were being discussed in the United Kingdom and European Union countries, including France and Spain. Those measures are not necessarily comparable to Russia’s proposal, which is described as an age-identification requirement and a time limit for children under 14.
Bill Details Remain Unreported
The report does not include the bill’s full text, so it is unclear what qualifies as mandatory child identification, which social networks would be covered, or whether the time limit would apply to all online activity or particular platforms. No permitted duration, age-check method, penalty or compliance deadline was reported.
It is also unclear whether the State Duma committee has formally scheduled consideration, whether lawmakers will revise the proposal, or when a decision might be made. The proposal has been referred to a committee, but the available information does not establish that it has passed a vote or become law.
Committee Review Will Set the Pace
The next identifiable step is consideration by the State Duma’s information policy committee. The report does not give a date for a committee hearing or say when the bill could reach a wider parliamentary vote. Further details may emerge if lawmakers publish the text or the regulator explains how it proposes to apply age checks and screen-time restrictions.
Until then, the proposal should be understood as a reported legislative initiative, not a rule currently in force. Any assessment of its reach will depend on the bill’s wording, changes made during review, and the eventual approach to platform compliance and enforcement.
Key Questions
What has Roskomnadzor proposed?
According to Vedomosti, the regulator sent a bill to a State Duma committee proposing mandatory identification of children on social networks and limits on online time for children under 14.
Is the proposal already law?
No. The available report says the bill was sent to a parliamentary committee. It does not say that lawmakers have passed it or that the measures are in force.
How much time would children under 14 be allowed online?
The report does not specify a permitted duration or explain whether any limit would apply across the internet or to particular services.
Why does Roskomnadzor say it is proposing the measures?
A regulator representative said the aim is to restrict children’s access to banned content. The Internal Affairs Ministry separately raised concerns about children being drawn into offenses through online services.
What happens next?
The State Duma’s information policy committee is the next reported venue for consideration. A review date and the proposal’s subsequent parliamentary timetable have not been announced in the source report.
Source: meduza.io
