Abu Meri reveals children under 15 shouldn't use the internet — Liepāja port fishermen already testing offline messaging

Health Minister Abu Meri has come forward with a revolutionary idea — children under 15 should not be allowed to use the internet, as it can cause depression and anxiety. While Riga parents panic about how to explain life to children without the internet, in Liepāja such a situation is nothing new.

The minister's arguments are convincing — social networks can harm children's mental health. Interestingly, the ministry presents this discovery with such enthusiasm, as if they had just discovered that water is wet. Local Liepāja resident Jānis comments: "Our childhood passed without the internet, and look — how normally we turned out! Well, mostly."

Fishermen at Liepāja port have been practicing this approach for years — they communicate about freshly caught fish without social networks, using only phone calls and personal meetings. The result? No fisherman has complained about depression from too much time on Facebook.

The minister also mentions the need for a "Mental Health in All Policies" initiative. In Liepāja, this has long been practiced — if you can survive local winters without internet and with constant winds, your mental health is iron-strong. While Riga children stress about wifi not working, Liepāja children learn to survive without electricity during windstorms.