Social-media policy consultations: Priority is to make decisions for benefit of our children – Education Minister

The Education Ministry on Wednesday hosted a consultation session with stakeholders within the education sector as part of a nationwide engagement on social media and its consequential effects on children.
The consultations are being held under the theme: “Protecting a Safe and Healthy Digital Environment for Children.”
According to Education Minister Sonia Parag, the misuse of social media has increasingly contributed to mental health issues among young people, affecting the overall well-being of children.
The Minister emphasised the importance of allowing members of the public to provide input, suggestions, and recommendations so that authorities can better care for children in a manner that is necessary and responsive to the challenges posed by the global influence of social media.
“While we will be looking later at another public consultation for the wider society on the misuse of social media, as well as gambling and so on, this consultation is specifically related to children. We thought that it was necessary and very relevant, and a priority right now that we start this consultation – not only start a consultation, but come to a point where we can make decisions that will be for the benefit of our children,” she noted.
The Minister stated that misuse of social media has been linked to mental health challenges and other issues affecting the well-being of children. She cautioned that there was a need to carefully consider society’s approach towards social media.
She explained that the consultation involved religious leaders, civil society, and other sections of society, with the aim of gathering input, suggestions, and recommendations on how the country can better care for its children. In her view, beginning and sustaining this conversation is important, as we acknowledge both the positive and negative aspects of social media. Minister Parag added that children were increasingly influenced by what they see and learn online, which can shape their behaviours and beliefs.
She stated that one of the platforms most influencing children was Roblox, and also referenced testimony from the mother of a child who tragically died, allegedly due to the influence of social media and related mental health challenges.
“And right now, we have children in schools that are being lured into doing things that they would not ordinarily do. It is being used against them as blackmail, not only by adults but also by their own peers. It is a very serious situation. It is undermining children’s confidence. It is creating a mental health situation that we did not really have to deal with a decade or two decades ago. Because, you know, sometimes when you were going to school, you might get one or two lashes, you go home, and it was normal. You continued on. You could handle difficult situations, because you were resilient. You were taught how to be resilient. You did not have to compete with certain other behavioural patterns that you were seeing and being influenced by,” the Education Minister said.
Returning to the purpose of the consultation, she emphasised that the aim was to better understand the impact of social media and related technologies on children in Guyana. She added that the process seeks to gather perspectives, identify opportunities and challenges, and explore possible approaches for protecting children while supporting digital inclusion and innovation.
She noted that one of the common trends being observed was a “see-and-do” culture, where young people imitate behaviours they see on social media.
“What we’re seeing is a lot of learned behavioural patterns, and it is coming from what they see – they do, right, and what they believe in. And what are the target ages? You are looking at ages of maybe around 10, 11 to 14, 15 mainly. You still have many other persons outside of that category who are also being influenced by social media,” Parag stated.
“First, I think we are confusing technology devices with social media; they are not necessarily the same thing. I am against banning devices in classrooms. However, what we can do is put firewalls in place. We can also establish a LAN network in our schools that has strong restrictions against external traffic.
“If we allow children to record videos and post them, then technology is like fire – it can be both useful and dangerous depending on how it is used. But what if we use these social media platforms to educate our children and challenge negative influences? Why don’t we create AI-based educational content, such as movies on how to solve equations, making sure students understand concepts like in a more engaging way.”