This was stated by Arzu Naghiyev, Chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee on Defense, Security and Anti-Corruption, during parliamentary hearings on "Digital Development, Artificial Intelligence and Protection of Children from the Harmful Effects of Social Media Platforms."
He noted that in many cases, cyberbullying can lead to decreased self-confidence, social isolation, depression and other severe psychological consequences in children:
"Access to harmful and age-inappropriate content — violence, hate speech, disinformation, manipulative advertising and other unsuitable materials — can negatively affect children's psychological development. Additionally, the security of personal data is also a serious concern. Children often thoughtlessly share their personal data, photos and location. This can be used by cybercriminals to create fake accounts, commit fraud and other illegal activities. Technologies that create fake photos, videos and audio recordings, automatically generated manipulative content and fake profiles can make it difficult for children to distinguish reliable information from false."
In his opinion, solving the problems does not fall on a single entity:
"The state, schools, families, technology companies and civil society must act together. Parents should actively participate in children's digital lives, build open dialogue with them, explain the rules of safe internet use and take an interest in their online activity. Control should be based not only on restrictions but also on trust and education. Schools need to pay more attention to cybersecurity topics. Students should learn not only how to use a computer but also how to verify information, protect their personal data, behave ethically on social media and recognize internet risks. Social media platforms, in turn, should ensure faster detection of harmful content using artificial intelligence and improve safety features for children."