Children’s health, safety among Moldovan Presidency’s priorities in 2026

Children’s health and safety are among the Presidency’s priorities for the 2026 year. President Maia Sandu today announced that efforts would focus on three mutually reinforcing dimensions: mental health in the digital era, preventing drug use and reducing risk factors for children’s health.

According to the official, children are currently facing violence among peers, addictions that start early and growing social vulnerability.

“Today, almost every child and adolescent lives online as well, or some – even more online. There are studies that show a harsh reality: teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on communication platforms have double the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms. This intensity is increasing. Real social life, with friends, classmates, family, with small social conflicts and the development of skills to solve them, to engage in dialogue, is gradually being replaced by a networked life, inauthentic, without physical presence, without genuine relationships. My message is simple: we must not blame children for the world in which they grow up. Adults shape the environment, set the rules and build support,” Maia Sandu said.

Statistics data shows that, in 2024, more than 1,700 bullying cases were reported, and in 2025 their number increased.

“In 2024, 12.7 per cent of adolescents aged 13 to 15 used electronic cigarettes. On this period, the authorities registered 14,233 children in at-risk situations. These figures represent a wake-up call and may not even show the full extent of the drama. Our children are facing violence among themselves, addictions that start early and growing social vulnerability. If we do not act decisively now, we risk normalizing these problems and losing generations,” Maia Sandu emphasized.

Data from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) for Moldova show that, in 2024, lifetime cannabis use was 2.5 per cent and 2.4% for illicit drugs other than cannabis.

“Promotion is moving online and the market is changing rapidly. The data show that drugs are already a reality and the online environment makes them more accessible; that is why, early prevention must be a national priority. The same factors affect physical health as well. The study of the European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) shows that 20.7 per cent of first-grade pupils are overweight and 8.8 per cent are obese. In 2025, approximately 142,000 people were registered with diabetes, of whom more than 700 are children. The risks increase from a very young age. A large percentage of children start school already overweight or obese. This means we must focus on healthy nutrition and the promotion of outdoor activities,” the president said.

The official noted that, in the digital era, there is a need for a national mental well-being programme, under the aegis of the Presidency, in cooperation with the government, schools, local authorities and civil society.

“We must find together – the state, the family, the school – how to increase social integration, real-life preparation and preparation for the future for children, while at the same time, limiting dependence on networks and the online world. Children need our help to navigate this world, which is different from the one we grew up in. We must insist on protection for minors directly in the way digital platforms are built, how algorithms are set, how harmful content is reported, how the age of those who participate or live their lives online is verified and on limiting functions that push compulsive use. Here, we need to have discussions with social platforms, which is not easy for a smaller country like Moldova. But precisely for this reason, we will try to use the platforms offered by international institutions to promote these requirements,” Maia Sandu stressed.

Among the proposed measures, there is the introduction of digital hygiene in schools: with short, practical, repeated sessions, with a simple protocol for online incidents and with clear roles for the school and the family. In addition, rapid access to assistance is to be strengthened: a national helpline and anonymous chat for adolescents and communication channels connected with the responsible institutions in health, education and social protection.