Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi cited the coronavirus pandemic as the impetus for reluctantly creating her first personal Facebook account in a post on Wednesday.
Since coming to power in 2016, Suu Kyi has largely communicated through formal statements and public meetings. She rarely gives press conferences or interviews.
"I had no willingness to join Facebook at first," Suu Kyi wrote in the first post on the account, which was quickly verified with a blue tick to show it as genuine.
"Under the current circumstances, it was created in order to communicate with people faster and more efficiently related to Covid-19 challenges," said Suu Kyi.
Myanmar has confirmed 15 cases of the virus and one death. The health ministry has warned of a "major outbreak" after tens of thousands of migrant workers returned from neighboring Thailand.
Suu Kyi recently appeared in a video on state media, washing her hands and instructing others to do likewise to stop coronavirus spreading.
Government spokesman Zaw Htay shared the new Facebook account on his own page on Wednesday, saying it was legitimate.
"It is real... Not an April Fool," Nyi Nyi Tun, a spokesman for the president's office, told Reuters by phone.
The Nobel laureate, 74, spent 15 years under house arrest and missed the emergence of laptops and smartphones.
Facebook is the most important means of sharing information for many in the country of over 51 million. The social media site tells advertisers it has 23 million users living there.
A public Facebook page has operated for Suu Kyi since the time of her campaign against the former junta and has over one million followers.
The new personal page has already drawn more than 400,000 likes.
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Coronavirus pushes reluctant Aung San Suu Kyi to Facebook
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Coronavirus pushes reluctant Aung San Suu Kyi to Facebook
- "I had no willingness to join Facebook at first," Suu Kyi wrote in the first post on the account
- The new personal page has already drawn more than 400,000 likes
Egypt to adopt restrictions on children’s social media use to fight ‘digital chaos’
- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s has called for restrictions until children are mature enough to handle social media responsibly
- Australia, the United Kingdom and France are considering similar measures to protect children from online risks
CAIRO: Egypt’s Parliament is looking into ways to regulate children’s use of social media platforms to combat what lawmakers called “digital choas,” following some western countries that are considering banning young teenagers from social media.
The House of Representatives said in a statement late Sunday that it will work on a legislation to regulate children’s use of social media and “put an end to the digital chaos our children are facing, and which negatively impacts their future.”
Legislators will consult with the government and expert bodies to draft a law to “protect Egyptian children from any risks that threaten its thoughts and behavior,” the statement said.
The statement came after President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Saturday urged his government and lawmakers to consider adopting legislation restricting children’s use of social media, “until they reach an age when they can handle it properly.”
The president’s televised comments urged his government to look at other countries including Australia and the United Kingdom that are working on legislations to “restrict or ban” children from social media.
About 50 percent of children under 18 in Egypt use social media platforms where they are likely exposed to harmful content, cyberbullying and abuse, according to a 2024 report by the National Center for Social and Criminological Research, a government-linked think tank.
In December, Australia became the first country to ban social media for children younger than 16. The move triggered fraught debates about technology use, privacy, child safety and mental health and has prompted other countries to consider similar measures.
The British government said it will consider banning young teenagers from social media while tightening laws designed to protect children from harmful content and excessive screen time.
French President Emmanuel Macron urged his government to fast-track the legal process to ensure a social media ban for children under 15 can be enforced at the start of the next school year in September.
The House of Representatives said in a statement late Sunday that it will work on a legislation to regulate children’s use of social media and “put an end to the digital chaos our children are facing, and which negatively impacts their future.”
Legislators will consult with the government and expert bodies to draft a law to “protect Egyptian children from any risks that threaten its thoughts and behavior,” the statement said.
The statement came after President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Saturday urged his government and lawmakers to consider adopting legislation restricting children’s use of social media, “until they reach an age when they can handle it properly.”
The president’s televised comments urged his government to look at other countries including Australia and the United Kingdom that are working on legislations to “restrict or ban” children from social media.
About 50 percent of children under 18 in Egypt use social media platforms where they are likely exposed to harmful content, cyberbullying and abuse, according to a 2024 report by the National Center for Social and Criminological Research, a government-linked think tank.
In December, Australia became the first country to ban social media for children younger than 16. The move triggered fraught debates about technology use, privacy, child safety and mental health and has prompted other countries to consider similar measures.
The British government said it will consider banning young teenagers from social media while tightening laws designed to protect children from harmful content and excessive screen time.
French President Emmanuel Macron urged his government to fast-track the legal process to ensure a social media ban for children under 15 can be enforced at the start of the next school year in September.
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