Michelle Iliev, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, stressed that in 2026, the vulnerability is not the lack of access to the Internet, but its use for harm. Even synthetic images created by AI have real and damaging impacts, she said.
Labor and Social Protection Minister Natalia Plougarou said that protecting children in the digital environment is a priority for the government and a shared responsibility of families, schools and state institutions:
“With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, it is crucial to provide children not only with access to technology, but also with the skills to use it safely and responsibly.”
For her part, Valentina Olaru, State Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Research, emphasized that artificial intelligence has already become part of the educational reality and should be used as a tool to support learning, without replacing critical thinking, autonomy and responsibility of students.
Urgent measures and prevention are needed
According to the International Center “La Strada”, in 2025, the SigurOnline Hotline platform registered 147 reports of online sexual violence material, of which 37% were created using artificial intelligence.
According to Elena Botezatu, executive director of the center, these figures show the growth of the phenomenon and the urgent need to strengthen prevention, education and intervention measures.
Against the background of these alarming data, Moldova is launching a national campaign “Let’s use artificial intelligence (AI) safely!”, which will take place between February and March 2026.
The campaign is implemented by the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization together with the International Center “La Strada”, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Ministry of Education and Research and the General Inspectorate of Police.
It aims to raise awareness of new risks in the online environment, especially those related to the use of artificial intelligence, and to promote an open dialog between parents and children on digital safety.
It should be recalled that in February, amendments to legislation will come into force in Moldova, criminalizing systematic online harassment, threats and other forms of digital violence, as well as femicide.
A new article “Acts of harassment” is included in the Criminal Code. Thus, for example, sexual harassment, including with the use of information technologies or electronic communications, against a minor is punishable by imprisonment of 3 to 7 years.
