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.
