Economic consequences of the Online Safety Bill should be considered by the government though there is a need for regulating social media, SJB MP Harsha de Silva said yesterday.

“One should take a note on the consequence the Bill will have on e-commerce. Our youth should be made to participate in the economy through e-commerce. Legislations such as these will prevent these opportunities,” he said.

“You cannot consider service providers such as Facebook and You Tube as perpetrators just because another person uploads an unwanted post on social media,” he added.