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The ban movement is gaining momentum social media For children under 16 Indiaone of the world’s largest marketplaces for many online platforms.
Three Indian states have now begun debating whether to implement rules restricting children’s use of social media, a move that could impact surrounding areas 12 million minors.
is also an important coalition ally of the Prime Minister Narendra ModiThe ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has also introduced a bill to ban youths under 16 years old from participating nationwide.
The 15-page proposal states that anyone under the age of 16 “may not create, maintain or possess” a social media account.
“We demand that social media platforms take full responsibility for ensuring the age of their users,” said LSK Devarayalu, a lawmaker from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which also governs the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh is one of three states, along with Karnataka and Goa, that are considering restricting children’s use of social media. They have about the same number of children as Britain, The agency has launched its own consultations on whether to adopt a similar ban.
All states point to AustraliaA move late last year required social media companies such as Instagram, Facebook and X to take “reasonable steps” to prevent minors from holding accounts, with violators facing hefty fines.
“Finland has already taken the decision, the UK is considering similar measures, and Australia responded to the call two months ago to ban children from social media,” Karnataka’s information technology minister said. Priyank Haggar said last week.
“We are also discussing what needs to be done in terms of the responsible use of artificial intelligence and social media,” Mr Haag said during a discussion on the impact of inappropriate digital content on minors, without specifying which age groups might face restrictions or specific legislative actions being considered.
Goa’s Information Technology Minister Rohan Khaunte said state authorities were looking into Australia’s laws to regulate children’s use of social media.
“If possible, (we will) impose a similar ban on the use of social media by children under 16,” Mr Kaunte said, according to Reuters.
Andhra Pradesh, which has about 4.7 million teenagers, is reportedly inviting representatives from Meta, X and Google to a meeting on the issue.
“Social media platforms will be invited to the next meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Social Media to consider how to make digital platforms safer, especially for women and children,” Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh said, adding that “the situation can no longer be ignored”.
India is believed to have around one billion internet users and is the world’s second-largest smartphone market.
Many popular social media companies have more users in India than in any other country. It is estimated that India may have around 500 million YouTube users, 403 million Facebook users and 481 million Instagram users.
Currently, the state does not set a minimum age for accessing these apps.
The issue has received increasing attention at the national level, with India’s chief economic adviser Anantha Nageswaran recently urging families to promote limits on screen time, device-free time and shared offline activities.
“An age-based access restriction policy could be considered as younger users are more susceptible to compulsive use and harmful content,” Nagswaran wrote in India’s Annual Economic Survey released on Thursday.
“Platforms should be responsible for enforcing age verification and age-appropriate defaults,” he wrote.
After the Australian law was implemented, many researchers, including psychologists and digital safety experts, welcomed the idea of banning children from using social media.
Others, including Monash University law professor Paula Gerber, have expressed concern that marginalized young people, including LGBT+ minors, will be denied access to vital resources for mental health support, community building and identity development.