Technology has transformed our lives in ways that few of us could have imagined ten or twenty years ago. Today, we communicate, work, learn and access news through digital channels. Social media is no longer simply a space where we share photographs or communicate with friends; it has become an integral part of how our society functions.

This progress has created significant opportunities, but it has also brought new responsibilities and challenges. The time has therefore come for Malta to engage in a more concrete discussion on online safety, digital responsibility, the protection of children, and the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence.

This is not a debate against technology or social media, nor should it ever become an excuse for censorship. It is about finding effective ways to protect individuals without restricting freedom of expression or undermining innovation.

Protecting Children Must Be a Priority

One of the most significant challenges is the presence of children on social media. If a platform requires a person to be of a certain age to open an account, we must ask a simple question: how do we know that the person has genuinely reached that age?

Today, it remains relatively easy for a minor to enter a false date of birth. A minimum age requirement without an effective system of age assurance therefore has limited practical value.

Different countries are exploring different approaches. Australia has adopted a model requiring certain platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent persons under the age of 16 from holding accounts. In Europe, meanwhile, an important concept being developed is privacy-preserving age verification.

This could be particularly relevant for Malta. Through the European Digital Identity Wallet and other certified solutions, we can explore a system whereby a platform receives confirmation that an individual meets the required age threshold without receiving that person’s name, ID number, address or exact date of birth.

The principle should be clear: verify the age without unnecessarily revealing the identity.

Fake Profiles and the Digital Wallet

The same technology could also provide an opportunity to address another growing concern — fake profiles.

We can explore a system whereby, when an account is created, the platform is able to confirm that there is a real and verified person behind it, without requiring that individual to disclose their identity publicly.

A person could still use a username or pseudonym, while the account could be recognised as a Verified Account. Such an approach could make it considerably more difficult to create multiple fake profiles for the purpose of cyberbullying, fraud, impersonation or other forms of abuse.

Here too, we must strike the right balance between security and privacy. The principle can be expressed simply:

Verify the Human – Protect the Identity.

AI Is Creating New Realities

We cannot discuss online safety without addressing Artificial Intelligence.

AI can now recreate the voice of a real person, generate a false image, or produce a video in which an individual appears to say something they never actually said. This technology offers enormous potential for education, creativity and economic development, but it can also be misused for fraud, impersonation, harassment, blackmail and serious reputational harm.

Our laws and institutions must therefore continue to evolve so that they can distinguish between the legitimate use of AI and its deliberate misuse.

At the same time, we are witnessing cyberbullying, cyberstalking, doxxing, identity theft and fake profiles. When someone becomes a victim of such abuse, another fundamental question arises: where should that person turn for help?

The Police? The Malta Communications Authority? The Information and Data Protection Commissioner? The platform itself? A lawyer?

Citizens should not have to be experts in digital law simply to understand which authority has jurisdiction over their case.

One Front Door for the Citizen

For this reason, I believe we should seriously consider the establishment of a Commissioner for Online Safety and Digital Ethics, serving as a single point of reference for citizens.

This would not mean creating an institution to replace the Police, the MCA or the IDPC. These institutions should continue to exercise their respective statutory responsibilities. Rather, citizens would have a clear first point of contact from which their case could be referred to the appropriate competent authority.

The principle is straightforward: One Front Door for the Citizen.

Freedom Must Go Hand in Hand with Responsibility

Throughout this discussion, we must remain unequivocal in defending freedom of expression. Political criticism, investigative journalism, differing opinions, satire and legitimate parody must remain protected.

However, freedom of expression cannot become a justification for threats, stalking, fraud, identity theft, doxxing, cyberbullying or malicious deepfakes.

We therefore need a modern framework that addresses child protection, age assurance, privacy, AI, fake profiles, deepfakes and platform accountability, while continuing to safeguard the fundamental rights of citizens.

Technology and AI will continue to advance, and as a society, we must advance with them. Our objective should not be to stop progress, but to make progress safer, more responsible and more human-centred.

We must protect children, safeguard privacy and freedom of expression, while ensuring that those who abuse the digital environment are held accountable for their actions.

Progress must go hand in hand with responsibility.