The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The growing threat of easy access to pornographic, violent and unethical digital contents, and particularly with the rapid advancements in technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the National Assembly (NA) of Bhutan has called to strengthen regulatory enforcement and institute a zero-tolerance policy on such contents.
Member of Parliament (MP) Sonam Tashi from Lamgong-Wangchang constituency, Paro initiated the urgency of the matter on 23rd June 2025 during the NA session.
He expressed his concerns over the rising spread of pornographic, violent, and morally degrading content across digital platforms, including social media, posing serious threat to the psychological well-being of youth and the wider society.
“Advancements in digital technologies, particularly AI, have worsened the problem by accelerating the production and dissemination of such harmful content. The existing legal, monitoring, and enforcement mechanisms are inadequate to effectively combat the scale and complexity of this challenge, despite the presence of relevant legal frameworks,” he said.
He said that while the Constitution guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms, it also permits reasonable restrictions in the interest of national unity, security, and the protection of public morality.
Further, the Members of Parliament (MPs) supported the motion and the need for strong policy against the rising spread of unethical contents online posing serious risks to youths and their mental health. Also, the easy accessibility of the contents online with no restrictions and lack of elderly monitoring.
MPs also voiced out the spread of false information online which is creating disharmony in the society, especially driven by anonymous account holders and the use of AI in creating fake contents.
Proposing for the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy, MP Sonam Tashi submitted five recommendations in the House for consideration.
He requested that the Royal Government of Bhutan be directed to implement, with immediate effect, a zero-tolerance policy in the enforcement of all existing laws and regulations relating to the dissemination and consumption of pornographic, violent and unethical content across all digital and media platforms.
Establish a fully autonomous, well-resourced, and technically proficient Content Monitoring and Enforcement Division within the Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority (BICMA).
Instruct the Ministry of Home Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, to initiate a nationwide digital ethics and compliance campaign.
The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment to undertake an immediate assessment of BICMA’s institutional and operational capacity, and where necessary, propose amendments to the Bhutan Information, Communications and Media Act 2018 to strengthen BICMA’s mandate, autonomy, and enforcement powers.
Lastly, all relevant government agencies and law enforcement bodies be instructed to remain vigilant and act in close coordination to prevent the use of any media platform to promote regionalism, discord, or content that threatens Bhutan’s unity, peace, and social cohesion.
He said that this motion seeks to preserve the moral fabric, cultural identity, and national unity of Bhutan by responding decisively to the growing threat of explicit and violent digital content.
Further, it intends to uphold the Constitution not by restricting freedoms arbitrarily, but by exercising lawful limitations to protect the greater good, especially in an era where digital and Al-driven threats are growing exponentially.
NA endorsed all five recommendations with all 41 MPs present voting in favor.
Additionally, concerned ministries were directed to assess and carry out comprehensive review, with the findings to be submitted within six months.
Meanwhile, Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) in the past five years has recorded four cases on pornography. 2 cases in the year 2022, 1 in 2021 and 1 in 2020.
The Crime and Operations Department (COD) at the RBP Headquarters, Thimphu shared that the cases of sextortion and digital exploitation reported are likely just the tip of the iceberg, with many incidents remaining unreported. Colonel Passang Dorji, Deputy Chief of COD highlighted that these cases reflect emerging trends in digital crimes targeting young people, particularly women.
Colonel Passang said that in the four reported cases, intimate videos created consensually during relationships were later used for blackmail following breakups. In one disturbing incident, a girl was secretly filmed while taking a bath by her own roommate, who later shared the video in an official group.
Another case involved a college girl who, struggling with financial hardships, were coerced into sharing nude images in exchange for promised payments. The victims never received the money, and their private images were subsequently leaked.
In yet another case, explicit content from a woman’s past relationship resurfaced and went viral on social media after she got married.
He highlighted the seriousness of these cases and the need for heightened awareness and caution.
He said that with the upcoming summer school holidays, directives have already been issued to all police stations to reinforce preventive measures. RBP has also formally communicated with the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, requesting that schools across the country caution students about responsible behavior and the risks of falling into conflict with the law during the holidays.
RBP will be strictly enforcing public safety measures, including random checks for the possession of weapons. “No student should be involved in brawls, battery, stabbing, or carry weapons of any kind. Anyone found with weapons will face serious legal consequences,” said Colonel Passang.
