On 6th March (Friday), Siddaramaiah, the chief minister of Karnataka, announced that his government is considering banning children under the age of sixteen from using social media, during the presentation of the state budget for 2026–2027. It was included in the school education part and intends to reduce the negative consequences of increasing mobile phone use among children, such as, excessive screen time, mental health and academic performance.
He highlighted, “Social media will be banned for children under the age of 16 to prevent the adverse effects of increasing mobile usage. The ban is aimed at preventing the negative impact on children caused by increasing mobile phone usage.” During a recent conversation with vice chancellors of government universities, Siddaramaiah brought up the matter to get their opinions on the viability and ramifications of such an action.
“We have seen that the government has come out on the floor of the house in its budget statement that it is the intention of the government to restrict social media usage below the age of 16. And it’s a very important issue in society. Every family is facing this issue,” Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad stated while talking to NDTV.
The government has shown growing concerned about the addiction to social media and mobile devices. It started the “Mobile Bidi, Pustaka Hidi (Leave the phone, pick a book)” campaign earlier this month to combat the issue and promote reading among schoolchildren.
According to a 2019–20 census by India’s federal health ministry, less than 25% of Karnataka’s population is under 15. 2025 presentation by the centre’s think tank NITI Aayog informed that the state is home to 67.6 million people.
Additionally, Andhra Pradesh has declared that youngsters under the age of 13 will not be allowed to use social media. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu declared on Friday that the state will implement this in stages over the course of the following three months. “Definitely, we will make sure that within 90 days those below 13 years of age are not able to use social media,” he outlined.
According to the chief minister, his government will even decide whether to forbid teenagers between the ages of 13 and 16 from using social media. He went on to say that the government is dedicated to shielding kids from social media’s possible harmful effects and will take the required actions to ensure their welfare.
Under the direction of IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh established a Group of Ministers (GoM) in January to examine the viability and challenges of the move.
The two developments coincide with mounting global fears about the effects of social media and cell phones on children’s lives. Australia became the first nation to forbid minors from using social media in December. Similar actions are being considered by Denmark, Greece, and Britain.
