President Emomali Rahmon on Monday ordered a government review of internet, smartphone, artificial intelligence and social media use among children and young people, giving officials three months to propose measures aimed at promoting safer digital habits.

He instructed the Ministry of Education and Science, the Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies and the Committee on Primary and Secondary Vocational Education to analyze the issue and submit recommendations to the government.

The president said responsible use of digital technologies should be explained more systematically across society, particularly to children, teenagers and young people.

“The harm or benefit of new technologies depends on how we use them,” Emomali Rahmon said.

He argued that social media platforms expose children to age-inappropriate content because they do not consistently enforce age-based restrictions.

Emomali Rahmon said excessive and uncontrolled use of smartphones and social media has harmed children’s mental health, sleep, speech, memory, learning ability and physical development.

“Instead of reading books, developing their skills or playing sports, students spend many hours in the virtual space of social networks,” he said.

He called on authorities to strengthen young people’s digital literacy and resilience against misinformation, extremist content and other online threats while encouraging the use of the internet for education and research.

The directive comes as governments around the world debate restrictions on children’s access to smartphones and social media.

Kazakhstan has introduced draft legislation that would prohibit social media registration for users younger than 16, while similar proposals are under consideration in Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Indonesia banned social media registration for children younger than 16 on March 28, 2026, according to Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Meutya Hafid.

In England, the government is considering additional child safety measures, including a proposal to ban mobile phone sales to children younger than 16.

In the United States, lawmakers have proposed the Children’s Social Media Protection Act, which would prohibit social media use by people younger than 16.

Rahmon’s directive also builds on existing restrictions in Tajikistan. Under the country’s 2013 Law on Education, students in general, primary vocational and secondary vocational educational institutions are prohibited from using mobile phones. The Law on Responsibility for the Education and Upbringing of a Child also bars preschool children and students in those institutions from bringing or using mobile phones.

A study in Sweden involving 3,500 students at 37 schools found that banning mobile phones in schools improved students’ health and behavior, including outside school, according to officials citing international research.

Medical experts say that while mobile phones can support learning and communication, unrestricted use at an early age may negatively affect children’s health and mental development, highlighting the role of parents, teachers and schools in promoting responsible digital use.