An ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced a proposal to ban social media use for children, as the world’s largest market for platforms such as Meta and YouTube joins the global debate over the impact of social media on young people’s health and safety.
Lawmaker L.S.K. Devarayalu said on Friday that children were becoming increasingly addicted to social media, while India had also emerged as one of the world’s biggest sources of data for foreign technology platforms.
“Using this data, these companies are developing advanced artificial intelligence systems, effectively turning Indian users into unpaid data providers, while the strategic and economic gains are realised elsewhere,” he said.
The move follows similar actions abroad. Australia last month became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, a step welcomed by many parents and child welfare groups but criticised by major technology firms and free speech advocates. France’s National Assembly has also backed legislation to bar children under 15 from social media, while Britain, Denmark and Greece are examining comparable measures.
Facebook operator Meta (META.O), opens new tab, YouTube-parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O), opens new tab and X did not respond on Saturday to emails seeking comment on the Indian legislation. Meta has said it backs laws for parental oversight but that “governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites.”
India’s IT ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
India, the world’s second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion internet users, is a key growth market for social media apps and does not set a minimum age for access.
Devarayalu’s 15-page Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill, which is not public but was seen by Reuters, says no one under 16 “shall be permitted to create, maintain, or hold” a social media account and those found to have one should have them disabled.
“We are asking that the entire onus of ensuring users’ age be placed on the social media platforms,” Devarayalu said.
The government’s chief economic adviser attracted attention on Thursday by saying India should draft policies on age-based access limits to tackle “digital addiction”.
Devarayalu’s legislation is a private member’s bill – not proposed to parliament by a federal minister – but such bills often trigger debates in parliament and influence lawmaking.
He is from the Telugu Desam Party, which governs the southern state Andhra Pradesh and is vital to Modi’s coalition government.
Source: Dunya News
