Barbados will soon be implementing regulations on social media and artificial intelligence to protect young people.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley yesterday warned that technology was increasingly shaping their mental health, behaviour and sense of self in ways society did not yet fully understand.
Speaking at the official launch of the Young People’s Village at Holders, St James, Mottley said the world had reached a point where governments could no longer ignore the impact of technology on children and adolescents and regulation was now necessary to ensure balance and fairness.
“We are at a stage, not just in Barbados but across the world, where many young people sometimes feel rudderless and not rooted, where they are asked to compare themselves to what they see on screens . . . and because technology can perfect images and make unreal many things, the comparisons are very much underwhelming and undermining people,” she said.
The Prime Minister warned that technology had turned many young people into “addicts of the screen” instead of using digital tools for empowerment. She said Cabinet had already begun educating itself on artificial intelligence as Barbados prepares for the digital age.
“Our Government is very, very clear . . . regulation is absolutely necessary to ensure that there is balance and fairness in this space,” the Prime Minister said.
Mottley said Barbados would have to work with other countries, especially small states, to ensure global technology companies did not dictate the terms of engagement.
Her comments come as countries such as Australia have already begun moving towards stricter controls on young people’s use of social media, including proposals to restrict access for children under certain ages and require platforms to take greater responsibility for harmful content.
The Prime Minister said small states like Barbados could not face large technology companies alone and would need international partnerships to ensure their voices were heard.
“We are dealing truly with a David and Goliath situation. We are dealing with technology companies that will survive and make much, much more money whether a small country stands up or not. Therefore international partnership must become the order of the day,” she said.
The Prime Minister, however, stressed that regulation alone would not solve the problem, saying families and communities also had to play a stronger role in raising children and guiding them through adolescence.
She said the Young People’s Village was designed to help adolescents through what she described as the most critical years of their lives – the bridge between childhood and adulthood.
“This facility is particularly important because we are focusing on the most difficult years, the adolescent years, the bridge to adulthood, the thing that can make you or break you,” she said.
Mottley repeatedly returned to the theme of what she called “firm love”, saying young people needed guidance, examples and responsibility if Barbados was to build a stable society.
“Children need guardrails, children need examples, children need opportunities,” she said.
She also spoke about the importance of teaching young people conflict resolution, warning that many violent incidents started from minor disagreements that escalated because people did not know how to express themselves properly.
The Prime Minister said the new facility was designed to remove the institutional feel often associated with social care facilities and instead create a community environment where young people could develop responsibility and life skills. (CLM)
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