Will India ban social media usage for teens?
What's the story
India is considering age-based restrictions on social media platforms, a move that has gained momentum after Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Australia's efforts in this direction. During his recent visit to Australia, Modi lauded the country's approach to regulating online platforms and protecting society from IT and social media-related harms. The remarks come months after the Indian government started discussions with social media companies about implementing such restrictions for children.
Global influence
India's discussions with social media companies
Australia's Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, 2024, which requires platforms to prevent access for kids under 16 through age verification measures, has been closely studied by India. Earlier this year, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the government was in talks with major social media companies over age-based restrictions. He described children's exposure to harmful online content as "a problem which is growing day by day."
Policy framework
Graded framework under consideration
Officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have hinted that India may not go for a blanket ban. Instead, the government is considering a "graded" framework where younger users could face stricter restrictions while older teens may get access to certain categories of platforms or content. This comes as the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) flagged "serious, large-scale and systemic violations" affecting children on digital platforms.
State initiatives
States taking independent measures
Even before the Centre finalizes its policy, some Indian states have started working on their own proposals. Karnataka has announced plans to ban social media use by kids under 16, while Andhra Pradesh is drafting legislation to restrict access for children under 13. The latter is also exploring privacy-friendly age verification tools like "age tokens" linked to DigiLocker.
International movement
Global trend toward age restrictions
India isn't the only country rethinking children's access to social media. Australia was the first to introduce a nationwide minimum age for social media access. Denmark, Spain, Greece, and the UK are also considering similar restrictions due to concerns over increased screen time, addictive platform design, cyberbullying, deepfakes, and their impact on children's mental health.
User impact
Implications for platforms and users
If implemented, the proposed age-based restrictions in India would have a massive impact on the social media landscape. With nearly one billion internet users and Meta's largest user base for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, as well as one of YouTube's biggest audiences, any such move would affect hundreds of millions of people. It would also require platforms to adopt stringent age verification measures, an issue that regulators worldwide are still grappling with.