India’s chief minister for the southern state Karnataka proposed on Friday banning children under the age of 16 from using social media, as scrutiny over its addictive qualities surges globally.
India is the world’s most populous nation, with approximately one billion internet users, and all major cities and 95 percent of villages connected online, according to the latest government data.
“Social media will be banned for children under the age of 16 to prevent the adverse effects of increasing mobile usage,” Siddaramaiah, who uses only one name, said during a speech in the state’s legislative assembly, without providing further details or a timeline for the ban.
The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) advocacy group said a “blanket social media ban … can do more harm than good,” suggesting children may turn to unregulated and illegal platforms.
Last month, Indian IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that his country was discussing age-based measures with social media firms.
The federal government’s annual economic survey also recommended national guidelines on children’s screen time in January.
Several nations are toughening age restrictions on social media platforms as concerns mount that excessive screen time could harm childhood development and mental health.
Australia has required TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and other top social media services since December to remove accounts held by under-16s, or face heavy fines.
And French lawmakers in January passed a bill to the Senate that would ban social media for under-15s.
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