HGP Nightly News – With concerns mounting globally about the impact of social media on children, Guyana has enlisted the assistance of a United Kingdom-based law firm to help craft a framework that could eventually regulate aspects of cyberspace and better protect young internet users.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall made the disclosure during the National Consultation on Social Media and its Effects on Children, where he stressed that regulating online spaces is no longer a matter of choice.
“Cyberspace must be regulated. That is the new reality. How we regulate it is the question,” Nandlall told participants.
According to the Attorney General, the Government has retained a UK-based firm to examine existing international models and identify approaches that have proven both effective and practical to enforce.
He explained that Guyana is studying experiences from countries that have already introduced measures to regulate online activity, including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and several European nations.
Nandlall said the Government does not intend to develop policy in isolation and wants broad public participation before moving forward.
“Government doesn’t want to go alone, doesn’t want to travel this road alone,” he said, noting that the consequences of social media regulation are “far-reaching,” “profound” and “complex.”
The Attorney General acknowledged that governments around the world continue to grapple with the challenge of regulating digital spaces, arguing that the task is far more complicated than regulating behaviour in the physical world.
“No government thus far has found anything close to an ideal methodology on how to regulate this cyberspace,” he stated.
He pointed to the rapid growth of technology, noting that individuals can simultaneously communicate across multiple platforms, creating enforcement challenges for authorities worldwide.
Using online gambling as an example, Nandlall questioned how governments can effectively police activities taking place in virtual spaces when users are operating beyond traditional regulatory boundaries.
As a result, he said Guyana is focusing its current consultations on a narrower but critical area: protecting children online.
Describing children as one of the country’s most valuable assets, Nandlall said policymakers must balance public safety with practicality when developing any future framework.
He also stressed that enforceability will be a key consideration in whatever model Guyana eventually adopts.
“A law that is difficult to enforce is a zero-sum game. It makes no sense putting sophisticated laws on the books and you can’t enforce them,” the Attorney General warned.
According to Nandlall, the ultimate goal is to create a system tailored to Guyana’s unique circumstances while drawing on successful international examples and extensive public consultation
