SOCIAL MEDIA BAN FOR CHILDREN

NEWS: Karnataka plans to ban social media for children under 16, and Andhra Pradesh for those under 13

Significance of Age-based Bans

• Protecting child mental healthà Concerns about digital addiction, cyberbullying, and exposure to harmful online content.
• Excessive screen time: Uncontrolled smartphone and social media use affects children’s cognitive and social development.
• Promoting healthier lifestylesàComplementary initiatives encourage reading and offline activities among school children.

Challenges

• Regulating the internet is exclusively the Union government’s domain under the Information Technology Act, 2000 raising constitutional and legal hurdles.
• Age verification and monitoring of users remain challenging without robust age-verification tools and strict compliance from platforms.
• Bans could push minors toward less regulated or unsafe online spaces.

Other nations with similar restrictions

• Australiaà became the world’s first country to implement a nationwide social media ban for children under 16 in late 2025.
• Spainà mandated age verification for minors under 16.