The southern Indian state of Karnataka has announced a ban on social media use for children under the age of 16, becoming the first region in India to introduce such a restriction amid growing global concerns about minors’ digital habits.
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Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made the announcement during his annual budget speech on Friday, saying the measure aims to address the negative impact of excessive mobile and internet use on children.
“With the objective of preventing adverse effects of increasing mobile usage on children, usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16,” he said, although no timeline was provided for the implementation of the policy.
The decision comes as governments worldwide examine ways to regulate children’s exposure to social media platforms and the broader internet. In December, Australia became the first country to introduce a nationwide ban on social media use by minors, while policymakers in United Kingdom, Denmark and Greece are also exploring similar measures.
India is one of the world’s largest digital markets, with around 750 million smartphones and roughly one billion internet users. For Meta, the country represents its biggest user base globally across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
Karnataka, which has a population of around 67.6 million, includes the technology hub of Bengaluru — often referred to as India’s Silicon Valley — and hosts major global companies including Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, Dell and Google.
The move could encourage similar initiatives across the country. The neighbouring state of Goa is already considering a comparable ban, while a lawmaker in Andhra Pradesh proposed legislation earlier this year aimed at limiting children’s social media access.
India’s Chief Economic Adviser has also urged the federal government in New Delhi to consider national policies introducing age-based restrictions to address what he described as growing “digital addiction” among young users.
However, some activists and technology experts argue that outright bans may not be effective. They say children can easily bypass age restrictions by using fake identification and have instead called for stronger digital literacy programmes to help families manage safe and responsible online behaviour.
