Social Media Regulation in Bhutan

Social media has become a dominant communication channel in Bhutan with striking speed. Over 90 per cent of Bhutanese citizens use platforms including Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, averaging nearly three hours of daily use — a penetration and usage intensity that places Bhutan among the world's most active social media populations relative to its size. Facebook, introduced to Bhutan around 2008, remains the most widely used platform, with TikTok growing rapidly since 2019 particularly among younger users. This rapid adoption has created regulatory challenges that Bhutan's legal framework — designed for a licensed broadcast and print media environment — was structurally ill-equipped to address.

The Scale of Online Harm

Official data presented to the National Assembly documented 960 cases of cyberbullying and 56 cases of cybercrime in 2023 alone. Misinformation spreads rapidly through Facebook groups and WhatsApp networks in a small, tightly connected society where the social authority of shared content is high and the technical literacy to evaluate source credibility is unevenly distributed. Scams targeting Bhutanese users — including fraudulent investment schemes exploiting the country's acute youth unemployment anxiety — have become a significant financial harm. Online harassment, particularly of women in public life, has been identified as a factor deterring female candidates from standing in elections.

The emergence of AI-generated content poses additional challenges. BBS reported in 2025 that AI-generated audio and video content impersonating public figures had begun circulating in Bhutanese social media networks, creating legal questions that existing legislation does not clearly address.

Regulatory Framework and Gaps

The primary regulatory instrument is the Information, Communications and Media Act of 2018, which assigns BICMA responsibility for content regulation including online content. The Rules and Regulations on Content 2019 provide operational standards emphasising self-regulation and encouraging high-quality production. The Royal Government's Social Media Policy provides guidance for government employees and institutions on acceptable use. The Election Commission of Bhutan has published its own Social Media Rules and Regulations governing political communication during electoral periods.

However, significant regulatory gaps persist. The ICM Act's extraterritorial clause (Section 4) is legally ineffective against global platforms that operate outside Bhutanese jurisdiction, leaving platforms such as Facebook and TikTok largely unaccountable under Bhutanese law for the content they host. The regulatory arbitrage identified in the media regulation context applies here too: BICMA exercises meaningful oversight over licensed Bhutanese media organisations while the same or more harmful content from unlicensed sources circulates without equivalent scrutiny.

Government Approach and Tensions

Bhutan negotiated a collaborative content governance arrangement with TikTok that was reported in 2024 as a potential model for other small nations seeking constructive relationships with global platforms rather than adversarial regulation or outright bans. The government's stated position recognises citizens' fundamental right to use social media while emphasising responsible use and digital literacy as the primary responses. A push for stronger age verification requirements, digital literacy curricula in schools, and accessible reporting mechanisms for online abuse has accompanied the debate about more direct regulatory intervention.

Critics have noted that the government's own use of social media for communication and the reluctance to enact legislation that might affect political speech create inherent tensions in the regulatory approach. The pace of platform evolution consistently outstrips Bhutan's small regulatory capacity, a challenge that is not unique to Bhutan but is accentuated by the country's limited pool of digital policy specialists.

References

1. "960 cases of cyberbullying and 56 cases of cybercrime in 2023 alone." Bhutan Media Foundation.
2. "Social Media Landscape in Bhutan." Bhutan Media Foundation, 2021.
3. "TikTok and Bhutan take lead, a pact for harmony." Kuensel Online.
4. "Social Media Policy of the Royal Government of Bhutan." MOICE.
5. "Rules and Regulations on Content, 2019." BICMA.