Photo: Nirandfar.com
Under the new law, individuals under the age of 16 are completely prohibited from creating social media accounts in the country, and teenagers between the ages of 16 and 18 will need official consent from their parents or legal guardians to register.
The Oxu.az news agency reviewed the text of the law and reports that providers will verify users’ ages using special technical methods, including verification via bank cards, email, and mobile phone numbers. At the same time, platforms are required to delete all personal data collected for verification purposes immediately after the procedure is completed.
To protect minors, social media platforms will be required to implement parental control features, automatically enable enhanced privacy settings, disable geolocation, and block harmful content.
The new regulations also impose significant obligations on foreign companies themselves, which are now required to officially register in Azerbaijan, open local branches, and establish 24/7 contact centers to interact with government agencies in the official language. If the new rules are ignored, internet platforms will face a phased series of strict sanctions: ranging from written warnings and heavy fines to a complete ban on advertising by Azerbaijani taxpayers. If even these measures prove ineffective, the authorities will seek a court order to forcibly restrict internet traffic on non-compliant platforms.
As vesti.az reports, the law will take effect 12 months after its official publication. Until then, providers are required to implement technical solutions to verify users’ ages and notify the authorized government agency of this.
Once the law takes effect, access to existing accounts held by children under 16 must be restricted. If a user fails to confirm that they have reached the age of 16, their account and associated personal data are subject to deletion.
