Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday announced that his government will introduce legislation within 90 days, restricting children below the age of 13 from using social media. The announcement came hours after his Karnataka counterpart, Siddaramaiah, announced that social media would be banned for children below the age of 16 in his state.
If implemented, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh will become the first states in the country to restrict social media use for children as governments globally seek to reduce its impact on mental health, sleep and safety. In December, Australia banned the use of social media for those under the age of 16. Some European countries have adopted or are considering imposing similar restrictions. Britain this month sought the views of parents and children on banning access to social media for under-16s and imposing restrictions on gaming platforms and artificial intelligence.
Naidu said the state government would soon launch a program to prevent children below the age of 13 from accessing social media, likely within the next 90 days. “The government is also discussing potential regulations for the 13-16 age group and will make a decision based on a broader consensus,” he said. He said his government was considering the restrictions on the suggestion of his son and state IT Minister Nara Lokesh.
Naidu said his government was committed to ensuring that children were not adversely affected by social media and assured that steps would be taken to protect their well-being.
Lokesh said Karnataka’s proposal reflects a policy idea that was mooted earlier in Andhra Pradesh. “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I am happy to see Karnataka considering restrictions on social media for those below the age of 16 – an idea we had previously proposed in Andhra Pradesh to protect young minds from the dark side of the digital world. Sometimes good ideas travel fast. I wish them success moving forward,” Lokesh posted on X.
In January, Lokesh said his government was considering passing legislation banning children under 16 from using social media. “As a country, we are looking at Australia’s under-16 law, and yes, I think we need to put in place strong legal legislation,” Lokesh told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Lokesh told Bloomberg that he feels strongly that young people under a certain age should not be on social media because they do not understand what they are seeing. He called for a strong legal framework to implement the proposal to prevent children from using social media.
On October 1, Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary K Vijayanand issued a government order, setting up a Lokesh-led Group of Ministers (GoM) to study the existing laws, rules and guidelines applicable to social media platforms in India.
An official said that the Moroccan government has met twice in the past two months and is studying international models for controlling social media. The official added that the Moroccan government will analyze the legal issues that may arise when introducing any such legislation. “There is no such law anywhere in India at the moment and Andhra Pradesh will be the first to implement it, if it is implemented,” he said.
The government of Morocco will recommend measures to ensure platforms are held accountable for harmful content, misinformation, online abuse, and threats to national security. It will propose obligations regarding grievance handling and reporting mechanisms, as well as provide advice on protecting citizen rights.
