The Republic of Moldova will not introduce bans on the use of online platforms this year. Instead, authorities will focus on developing mechanisms to protect users, especially minors, logos-press.md reports.
Authorities plan to implement the Digital Services Act this autumn—an EU framework that regulates the activity of major online platforms.
According to Mishel Iliev, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization of Moldova, the scale of harmful online content has reached a critical level.
“I think that 15 years ago we would not have imagined that everything would degrade in this direction. Now we need to think about how to fix the situation. We are not planning bans this year. The Digital Services Act, which we will implement in autumn, provides regulation for large platforms,” Iliev said.
The new approach includes tools that will allow users to quickly report fake content and violations—mechanisms that are currently almost nonexistent in Moldova. Authorities also warn that the rapid development of artificial intelligence has intensified online risks, especially for children.
Iliev emphasized that the growing volume of “information garbage” poses a serious threat, particularly to minors, as AI enables the creation of increasingly sophisticated fake content, cyberattacks, and fraud schemes.
Consultations on these protective measures have already begun under the auspices of the presidential administration, involving parents, teachers, ministries, psychologists, and IT specialists.
Authorities aim to build a “digital shield” rather than impose restrictions. This includes training teachers to identify warning signs in children and improving digital literacy among parents, particularly those over 50. Officials stress that simply banning access—similar to past approaches with television—can be ineffective and even counterproductive.