The government has begun preliminary discussions on an inter-ministerial national programme for children’s online safety and digital well-being, the Daily Mirror reported.
The first discussion was held at Temple Trees on 2 November, led by Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne. It focused on identifying what each key ministry would be responsible for under a coordinated national framework against online abuse, cyberbullying and other digital threats.
Beyond isolated interventions
Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputantri told the meeting that children face a range of challenges as digital technology develops rapidly, and argued for moving past isolated interventions toward a national programme that brings together state institutions, experts and international organisations.
The proposed programme would be built around six areas: empowerment, safety, accountability-based design, protection, response and governance. Saputantri said Sri Lanka hoped to offer policy leadership on children’s online safety regionally and internationally by engaging other South Asian countries.
Access and safety together
Weeraratne said the government is taking steps to provide internet access to all secondary schools by the end of this year, extending the facility to primary schools next year. Giving children access to technology, he said, must go hand in hand with ensuring the environment they enter is a safe one.
Who was in the room
Representatives of seven ministries set out their current position, challenges and proposed measures on child protection: Digital Economy; Health and Mass Media; Education; Women and Child Affairs; Defence; Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs; and Youth Affairs and Sports.
Technical presentations came from the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Community health specialist Dr Asiri Hewamalage presented international research and evidence, and Ananda Galappatti set out a proposed digital framework covering the whole state sector. Legal matters and observations from the Attorney General’s Department were also discussed.
Not reported
The filing does not say when the programme would be finalised or launched, whether it would require new legislation, what it would cost or how it would be funded, or which ministry would lead it. It does not say whether age limits on social media access are under consideration — a question Parliament has touched on separately — or when the next meeting falls.
This is a single-source report. No other verified newsroom had carried the meeting at the time of writing.
