The appearance of social networks has brought about many advantages for the people, making contribution to the development of the society but also containing dangers and potential risks which may badly affect people’s life, especially that of the youth. Hence, that our Party and State have applied many solutions to protect people’s rights in general, the juveniles’ rights in particular in cyberspace appears to be an objective necessity which no one could deny.

Presently, social networks have become popular in the daily life of most of Vietnamese people with the increasingly high rates of smartphone and Internet users. According to the latest report from the “We Are Social” agency, Vietnam ranks 12^th in the world and 6^th in Asia in the number of Internet users. In Vietnam, people are free to create their social accounts and act on the social networks on their own needs. The country has neither blocked nor forbidden any social networks or organisations and individuals using the Internet (as long as they do not brake the laws). Technology companies such as Google (YouTube, Google), Meta (Facebook), ByteDance (TikTok), etc. have been strongly operating, developing and making huge profits from Vietnam. All people in Vietnam are free to show and share their information and personal viewpoints in accordance with the constitution and law on the Internet and social network. These are the lively proofs for the fact that Vietnamese Government always respects and protects the freedom of information and Internet of each person.

However, due to its special features and the furious sabotage from the hostile forces, beside the positives, social networks also contain a lot of negative information, dangers and potential risks which could badly affect people’s life, that of the juvenile in particular (hereafter the children in general), who have been abused, lured or attracted to illegal activities such as prostitutions, drug using and trafficking, theft, or even sexual abuse. Moreover, the abuse of the Internet without parental control and orientation, etc. has increased the rate of mental disorder among juveniles, which seriously affects their mental health, study, or even leads to suicide actions. According to the statistics from the Department of Children, under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, in 2022, the National Hotline for Children Protection (Hotline 111) registered nearly 370,000 coming calls, in which nearly 28,000 ones have been recorded and over 1,500 ones have been timely assisted, and 419 ones reported children abuses in cyber environment.

On clearly understanding the negative effects of the social networks to the juveniles and the viewpoint of “Caring, training, educating, comprehensively developing and protecting children’s rights; giving the best conditions and cares to children – the future of the country”, the Communist Party and the State of Vietnam have issued many legal documents and rules and other important solutions in order for its people to use the Internet, social networks safely and in the right purposes, and protect the juveniles’ rights in cyberspace. However, hostile forces and some people in the name of human rights organisations have not admitted that fact. They have either stated that there is no freedom of the Internet in Vietnam or that Vietnam has not considered protecting the juveniles’ rights in cyberspace, etc. These false allegations are totally wrong, lacking foundations and disclaiming the Party and State’s roles in ensuring human rights in general, the juveniles’ rights, in particular in cyberspace.

In fact, the Communist Party and the State of Vietnam have paid special attention to the youth, especially educating and training them comprehensively to become good citizens for the society, including the firm struggle against the negative effects and the assurance of the juveniles’ rights in cyberspace, which has clearly expressed in the following aspects:

Firstly, the Communist Party and the State of Vietnam have directed departments, agencies and unions to promote information and propaganda in order to create drastic changes in legal obedience of people, especially the juvenile, their families and Internet service providers, such as: integrating the knowledge of cyber network, Internet using skills, and support call to the education programmes; promoting the forms of supporting children through school counselling. Families, child caretakers, teachers, etc. are required to regularly update knowledge and methods to guide children to defend themselves, acquire information, discover and report the abusing activities when joining the network environment. Enterprises in Vietnam have developed products and applied information technology and communication to assist their learning on the network environment so that the juvenile could access and exploit effectively and safely, at the same time, timely commending, awarding and multiplying good models and creative methods in ensuring the juveniles’ rights in general and in cyberspace in particular.

Secondly, the Communist Party and the State of Vietnam have continuously perfected the legal foundation as a firm “shield” for protecting the juveniles’ rights when they joined the social networks. This is evidenced by the fact that Vietnam is the first country in Asia and the second in the world to ratify the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child on 20/02/1990. In addition, it has paid much attention to building the legal systems on protecting the juveniles’ rights in general and in cyberspace in particular, including Law on Information Technology; Law on Cyber information Security; Law on Children; Law on Access to Information, and Law on Cyber security. Especially, on 01/6/2021, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 830/QĐ-TTg approving the programme on “Protecting and supporting children to interact healthily in cyberspace in the period of 2021-2025”; on 30/7/2021, the Minister of Information and Communications signed Decision No. 1123/QĐ-BTTTT issuing the Plan on implementing Decision No. 830/QĐ-TTg by the Prime Minister, etc. These legal documents have clearly prescribed the protection of the juveniles’ rights in cyberspace: “Children are protected, cared and educated by the State, families and the whole society. It is forbidden to abuse, mistreat, abandon, exploit children and any other actions that break the children’s rights”; “Children have the rights to be protected, approach information, attend social activities, play, entertain, keep secret and their personal privacy and other rights when joining the networks”. These documents have also defined the responsibility for protecting children in cyberspace by relevant departments, organisations and individuals.

Thirdly, the Communist Party and the State of Vietnam have proactively strived for caring and protecting the juveniles in general, ensuring their rights in cyberspace in particular. At first, they have taken care of their education and health; struggled against all kinds of crimes, built the cultural environment, etc., and created the most favourable conditions for the youth to enjoy the results of the renovation, comprehensively develop their morality, physical and mental health, etc., at the same time, completed the systems of caring and protecting the juveniles’ rights; promoted the technical solutions to collect, analyse, block and remove the child-abuse-related contents on the Internet; set up the systems to receive ideas and inquiries from the people and enterprises on the juveniles’ rights through the Government Portal; set up the round-the-clock National Hotline for Children Protection. Especially, every year, all levels, departments and localities have actively responded and effectively organised “The action month for children” with plentiful and effective contents. Typically, in 2018, they organised The action month for children named “For a safe and healthy life of children in the digital world” to transfer a practical and meaningful message which has been considered as the “Message for protecting children in cyberspace”, and it has also contained the message: for a safe and healthy life of children in the digital world; using social networks for a safe and healthy life of children; listening to children by your heart, protecting them by your actions. Especially, on 10/9/2023, within the scope of the Programme on the first hypothetical session of the “Children’s National Assembly” taking place in Dien Hong Hall of the National Assembly Building, there was a discussion about the issue of protecting children in cyberspace and preventing injuries, violence and child abuse. This has expressed the CPV and State of Vietnam’s concern about children including the protection of children’s rights in cyberspace. Together, they have widened the international cooperation in order to create sources, improve the effectiveness in ensuring the juveniles’ rights in cyberspace. According to a survey of the Management and Sustainable Development Institute (MSD), in Vietnam, in 2022, 60% of the children surveyed said that they have felt safe when using the Internet, at the same time, they have also been aware of the risks of the Internet and internet addiction, in particular (60.9%). These are encouraging results to affirm that the guidelines and solutions by Vietnam in ensuring the human rights in general, the juveniles’ rights in cyberspace in particular are rightly oriented and effective, greatly contributing to the development and integration of Vietnam during the period of over-35-year reform. Vietnam will ceaselessly consolidate this achievement in order to continuously bring about freedom, happiness and development for the community; ensuring the free and healthy development for the juveniles.

The above reality has rejected all distortions and disclamations over the assurance of the juvenile’s rights in cyberspace in Vietnam; these allegations are just the “inept words” in the flow of society.

NGUYEN THI DAC HUONG – DO TIEN TRUONG, The Political Academy