Support The Moscow Times!

Putin Orders Monitoring of Youth Behavior Online

Kirill Zykov / Moskva News Agency

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to monitor the online behavior of young Russians and to produce “moral and spiritual education” content for them.

Young Russians have been targeted by several government initiatives in recent years, including a ban on minors attending protests and efforts to provide them with a military and patriotic education. This year, Russia launched a new channel targeting young viewers with 24/7 World War II programming and announced military-patriotic reeducation camps for delinquent youngsters.

Putin ordered Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to “ensure regular research of young Russian internet users’ consumer preferences and behavioral traits,” according to a set of acts the president signed this week.

The move seeks to raise awareness on how the internet influences the opinions of young people.

Putin also ordered Medvedev to create an NGO-based coordinating office that would produce online content “aiming toward a moral and spiritual education for the youth.”

Putin set a Dec. 1 deadline for Medvedev to report on the youth online-monitoring and content-production moves, according to the acts the Kremlin published Monday. His proposals come on the back of a family and child-protection policy meeting he hosted this summer.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more