Russia could ban the use of gay emojis if an investigation proves that they cause “harm” to minors’ development.
The government organisation responsible for policing the Russian media, Roskomnadzor, confirmed that they have sent a letter to the Young Guard of United Russia requesting that they investigate emojis depicting same sex relationships.
The investigation will research whether the emojis, such as the ones found on Apple iPhones, conflict with the country-wide ban on the publishing of materials that contradict the government-defined family values.
According to Russian newspaper, Investia, the Deputy head of Roskomnadzor, Mikhael Marchenko, said that same-sex emojis encourage “the spread on social media of untraditional sexual relations among minors.”
He also said that he fears the emojis cause “harm to their health and development”.
If found to be in violation of the law by Roskomnadzor, emojis will be banned for the “protection of children from information harmful to their health and development,” under Act 11 of the Russian Federal Law.
Story via Independent
