The Shura Council recently submitted a draft bill to introduce a new chapter on digital safety into the Bahrain Child Law. His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, referred the proposed legislation to Parliament and the services committee for further review. The government is now seeking revisions to the text, which aims to strengthen protections for minors operating within online environments. Lawmakers and committee members are currently evaluating the draft to determine if the proposed additions align with existing national legal frameworks. This process marks a formal step in the legislative pathway for the bill, following the initial submission by the Shura Council to the executive branch.
Proposed Digital Safety Measures
The draft bill proposes a ban on children under 15 creating accounts on digital platforms. Under these provisions, platforms must implement age-verification mechanisms and protection measures for all users. For children aged 15 to 18, the legislation mandates that platforms provide privacy and protection settings to enhance online safety. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) would be responsible for issuing policies on age verification and related controls under the bill. Officials are currently reviewing these requirements to determine how they would apply to service providers operating in Bahrain. The proposed measures aim to establish clear boundaries for digital engagement among minors while ensuring that companies maintain specific standards for user safety. These components remain subject to the ongoing revision process as the government and Parliament evaluate the technical feasibility of the suggested framework.
Government Concerns Regarding Legislation
Government officials have raised specific objections regarding the current structure of the draft legislation. According to the executive branch, the proposed bill fails to provide sufficient safeguards for the personal data of minors. The government argues that the text lacks clearly defined limits on data collection practices by digital platforms. By omitting these restrictions, the current draft does not adequately protect the privacy of children operating within Bahrain. Members of the executive team are now pressing for amendments to ensure that service providers are held to more rigorous standards regarding information storage and usage. These concerns form a central part of the ongoing review process as the government works to align the proposed digital safety chapter with broader national privacy objectives. Lawmakers are currently evaluating these recommendations to determine how they can be incorporated into the final version of the bill before it proceeds further through the legislative pathway.
Existing Legal Framework Overlap
Government officials contend that Bahrain already maintains an established legal structure governing digital safety. Current statutes include the Telecommunications Regulation Law, which provides oversight for service providers operating within the kingdom. Additionally, the existing Cybercrime Law addresses illicit digital activities, while the Electronic Communications and Transactions Law regulates the legal validity of online agreements and data exchanges. The government also points to the Personal Data Protection Law as a primary component of the nation’s current regulatory environment. Authorities argue that these four pieces of legislation already provide a foundation for protecting users within online spaces. Members of the executive branch maintain that any new additions to the Bahrain Child Law must avoid redundancy with these existing statutes. Parliament and the services committee are currently assessing how the proposed digital safety chapter interacts with these established laws to prevent potential conflicts in the regulatory framework.
