Bahrain Draft Child Online Safety Law Faces Government Pushback

Proposed Safety Measures

Bahrain’s Shura Council has put forward a draft law intended to strengthen online protection for minors.

The proposal would add a new chapter on digital safety to Bahrain’s Child Law, banning account creation for anyone under fifteen on digital platforms and obliging providers to install age‑verification tools and risk‑based safeguards.

For teenagers aged fifteen to eighteen, the bill would require platforms to offer privacy and protection controls, while placing on parents or guardians the duty to supervise use, limit screen time and reduce exposure to harmful material.

It also outlines clear reporting mechanisms for inappropriate content and assigns the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority the task of issuing policies and instructions on age verification and related controls.

Government Concerns and Critiques

However, the government has warned that the draft, as currently written, could infringe on privacy, duplicate existing rules and prove hard to enforce.

Officials said the text lacks sufficient personal‑data safeguards and does not specify what information may be gathered for age checks, warning that verification might entail collecting sensitive data unless the law sets clear limits on processing and guards against over‑collection.

The authorities argued that any restriction on digital communication must balance child protection with constitutional rights, notably privacy and the confidentiality of electronic communications.

They also criticised the vague definition of “digital platforms,” saying the wording does not provide precise criteria to determine which services fall under the law’s scope.

The draft fails to give a concrete definition of harmful or inappropriate content, relying instead on broad notions of risk levels and privacy protection without measurable standards, which could leave platforms uncertain about their duties and lead to inconsistent application.

Officials called for greater clarity on parental consent — how it can be given, withdrawn and reported — and on the minimum tools providers must supply to help families manage children’s online activity.

They noted that enforcement would be complicated by the cross‑border nature of many services and urged the bill to clarify the legal basis for jurisdiction over foreign operators and to set up practical compliance mechanisms.

Existing Laws and Call for Revision

The government pointed out that Bahrain already possesses a suite of relevant statutes — the Telecommunications Regulation Law, the Cybercrime Law, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Law and the Personal Data Protection Law — as well as the Child Restorative Justice and Protection from Abuse Law, arguing that the existing framework should be used in a coordinated manner rather than creating a parallel regime.

Introducing a duplicate structure, they warned, could multiply obligations, blur responsibility among agencies and impede implementation.

Authorities also questioned the practicality of a blanket ban on accounts for those under fifteen, noting that international platforms often apply different age thresholds and that the proposal should accommodate educational or other legitimate uses requiring flexibility.

While acknowledging the need to shield youngsters from online abuse and harmful material, the government urged a revision of the draft to establish clear legal definitions, well‑assigned responsibilities and effective enforcement mechanisms.

The draft has been referred by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to Parliament and forwarded to the services committee for review.