Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday announced that the state government has decided to ban the use of social media for children below the age of 16.
The announcement was made while presenting the state Budget in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The move aims to address growing concerns over the excessive use of social media among young people and its potential impact on their mental health, education and social behaviour.
Earlier, on January 30, Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s Minister for Information Technology and Biotechnology, had informed the Assembly that the government was considering measures to ensure responsible use of artificial intelligence and social media in view of increasing exposure among youths.
Kharge said the government had begun consultations with stakeholders to explore possible regulations. “It is a serious issue. Finland has taken action. The United Kingdom is also considering similar measures, while Australia has already imposed restrictions on social media use for certain age groups. We have started consultations to see what can be done to avoid overexposure to social media,” he had said.
During the Assembly discussions, Suresh Kumar, a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA and former minister, had also urged the government to address the growing misuse and overuse of social media among children.
He warned that early exposure to social media platforms could negatively affect the education system and family environment. Kumar also referred to concerns raised in a report submitted to the Lok Sabha regarding premature exposure of children to harmful online content.
“Social media has become a menace. It may not be possible to control it completely, but the government must take steps to ensure that children below a certain age are restricted from using social media,” he said.
The Karnataka government is expected to outline the detailed framework and implementation mechanism of the ban in the coming months.
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