Karnataka bans social media for children below 16

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a ban on social media for children below 16 during his recent budget presentation. The policy targets mobile phone dependency amongst youth and aims to protect young minds from addictive algorithms, cyberbullying, mental health risks, and harmful content leading to anxiety, depression, and disrupted sleep. Siddaramaiah had previously discussed the issue with vice chancellors of government universities. Following Karnataka's decision, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced in the state assembly that his government will launch a program within 90 days to prevent children under 13 from accessing social media. Naidu stated that children as young as 9 or 10 years are exposed to issues affecting their mental and emotional growth. However, questions remain about implementation mechanisms, including regulations, legislation, monitoring, and age verification by social media companies.