MOSCOW, September 3 - RAPSI. A new law on protecting children from information harmful to their health and development came into force on September 1. The law imposes certain restrictions on media publications. Its authors say it will give government authorities and public institutions the tools to react to any attempted moral or psychological corruption of children through the media.

The bill was a source of controversy in the media. Some publications held that a number of provisions included in the bill were not formulated clearly. The mass media and communications watchdog agency has promised to analyze the new law in practice over the first month and amend it if necessary.

The bill was passed in December 2010 and signed into law by the president in early 2011. Under the law media content will include age-sensitive restriction categories: "6+," "12+," "16+" and "18+." The "18+" is meant to restrict information urging actions that present a danger to life or suicide, that would promote unlawful behavior, promote drug, alcohol or tobacco use, prostitution, vagrancy or gambling, put in question family values and respect for parents, or that would contain restricted language or pornography.

The document was drafted with the assistance of specialists employed by the presidential commissioner for childrens rights, Pavel Astakhov.