July 6, 2026
THIMPHU – Isn’t it time for the government and policymakers to seriously consider either banning social media for those aged 16 and below, as Australia has done, or introducing measures similar to those adopted in countries such as France, Spain and Norway?
This call was made by the Minister for Education and Skills Development, Yeezang De Thapa, during the 29th Meet-the-Press session.
Lyonpo said that children today are growing up immersed in a culture where filming, planning and uploading videos has become routine, driven largely by a desire for views, likes and online recognition.
Last month, five students from Lungtenzampa Middle Secondary School and one student from Yangchenphu Higher Secondary School were suspended after videos of student fights circulated widely on social media, triggering investigations by the police and education authorities.
The first incident occurred on June 8 and involved a junior student who was allegedly assaulted by senior students.
The following day, the student reportedly returned with another senior student and confronted those believed to have been involved in the earlier altercation.
The student from YHSS was not directly involved; however, he was present during the fight. The students have been suspended and were not allowed to sit their examinations.
Addressing how the case was handled, Lyonpo said all students involved, both victims and alleged perpetrators, were taken to the school for disciplinary action.
“We are accountable for any violence that happens within the premises of the school. Since it is an assault case and not a criminal case, it will be referred to the school. The police are still investigating the case,” said Lyonpo.
According to the Minister, accountability rests with society, parents, teachers and schools. While schools bear some responsibility when incidents occur on campus, a child’s values and behaviour are shaped first and foremost at home.
“It is essential that we adopt a collective approach to raising and guiding our children,” said Lyonpo.
Eight wellbeing programmes are already in place across schools, aims to curb bullying and strengthen reporting, early identification, counselling and follow-up support.
Central to the strategy is the Mentor–Mentee Programme, which ensures every student has a trusted adult on staff to turn to for guidance. Schools have also established multiple reporting channels through counsellors, mentors, peer helpers, class teachers, school management and parents.
The approach is to prioritise psychosocial support over legal or judicial measures wherever possible, favouring child-centred, restorative responses for victims, perpetrators and witnesses alike.
Where incidents involve criminal offences or serious child protection concerns, schools are required to follow established protocols and work with relevant authorities in line with national law, with any action against alleged perpetrators focused on rehabilitation, education, accountability and reintegration.
The Ministry also reaffirmed that its School Discipline Guidelines remain aligned with the Child Care and Protection Act of Bhutan, which prohibits corporal punishment in schools, noting that traditional disciplinary methods are increasingly understood to be ineffective in fostering lasting positive behaviour.
Schools implementing the Wellbeing Strategy have reported fewer disciplinary issues, stronger student–teacher relationships and a more supportive school atmosphere.
Australia became the first country in the world to enforce a nationwide ban on social media accounts for children under 16, which came into force on 10 December 2025, blocking access to platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube and X.
Since then, a number of other countries have followed with bans of their own. Brazil’s law requiring under-16s to link accounts to a parent or guardian took effect in March 2026, while Indonesia and Malaysia introduced similar under-16 restrictions in the months that followed.
The United Kingdom has also passed legislation banning under-16 accounts on major platforms, due to take effect from spring 2027.
Several European countries remain at earlier stages of regulating children’s access to social media. France already requires platforms to verify users’ age and obtain parental consent for those under 15, while Spain and Norway have both proposed, but not yet enacted, bans for under-16s.