- India
- Mar 05
Should India consider age-based access to online platforms?
• The British government is considering a ban on social media and tighter AI chatbots safety rules for children.
• The government is seeking the views of parents and children on whether to ban access to social media for under-16 kids, as well as possible restrictions on gaming platforms and artificial intelligence chatbots.
• Governments worldwide are trying to limit the impact of social media and gaming on children's mental health and sleep.
• In December 2025, Australia became the world’s first country to ban social media for children under 16.
• The ban came amid mounting concerns over the impact of social media on children’s health and safety.
• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he wants to introduce new powers to protect children.
• The three-month consultation will look at measures ranging from a possible minimum age for social media to bans on addictive design features and overnight curfews for under-16s.
Why the government took this action?
• Technology is part of most children’s lives from an early age. It can help children learn, build friendships and develop creativity.
• But, it also brings risks, and many parents, teachers and young people have told us the current situation is not working well enough.
• Social media use among children and adolescents is almost universal.
• The proportion of children with social media profiles has increased significantly in the last five years.
• Many feel they are fighting a losing battle against platforms designed to keep children scrolling.
• They are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having.
• They worry about their children talking to chatbots as if they are real people and relying on their advice.
• Many parents and campaign groups have called for an outright ban on social media for under-16 children.
• Others, including children’s charities, have warned that a blanket ban could drive children towards less regulated corners of the internet or leave teenagers unprepared when they do come online.
What is the scenario in other countries?
• In January 2026, France’s National Assembly approved legislation to ban children under 15 from social media amid growing concerns about online bullying and mental health risks. The Bill needs to pass through the Senate before a final vote in the lower house.
• In Germany, minors aged 13 to 16 are allowed to use social media only if their parents provide consent.
• China has implemented a ‘fatigue system’ for gaming that restricts online gaming time (just one hour per day on weekends and holidays) and penalises overuse, enforced through real-name registration systems.
• In Italy, children under the age of 14 need parental consent to sign up for social media accounts, while no consent is required above that age.
• Denmark said it would ban social media for children under 15, while parents could provide access to certain platforms to kids down to the age of 13.
• Poland’s ruling party is preparing new legislation to ban social media for children under 15 years of age and to hold platforms responsible for age verification.
• South Korea introduced the ‘Shutdown or Cinderella law’ in 2011, restricting minors from accessing gaming websites after midnight. This policy, grounded in the Game Industry Promotion Act, was later repealed in 2021 in favour of parental control models.
• Singapore has taken a community-based approach through its Media Literacy Council, which promotes responsible digital citizenship and cyber wellness across schools and public platforms.
• Many countries are restricting student smartphone use through classroom bans, school-wide limits, or curfews to curb distractions and protect student well-being.
What is the situation in India?
• The government’s Economic Survey said age-based access to online platforms should be considered while also cutting down online teaching to avoid digital addiction.
• With near-universal mobile/internet use among 15-29 year-olds, access is no longer the binding constraint.
• The focus needs to shift to behavioural health considerations such as the rising problems of digital addiction, quality of content, wellbeing impacts, and digital hygiene.
• Digital addiction is described as addictive behaviour linked to digital devices, including smartphones, the internet, gaming, and social media addiction.
• It is typically framed as a behavioural pattern of excessive or compulsive engagement with digital devices or online activities that leads to distress and functional impairment, described as persistent, excessive, or obsessive computer and online use, causing impairment in psychology.
• In India, multiple measures address digital addiction among children.
• The CBSE has issued guidelines on safe internet use in schools and school buses.
• The Ministry of Education’s Pragyatah framework guides digital education planning with attention to screen time, while the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has issued guidelines on screen-time limits and online safety.
What are the possible measures to curb social media use among children?
• To provide alternatives to digital spaces, governments and communities should establish offline youth hubs, particularly in urban slums and rural areas.
• Recognising that digital access cannot be fully restricted, moderated online safe spaces hosted by schools or similar institutions can also offer peer support and verified mental health resources supervised by trained facilitators.
• Schools play a critical role in shaping digital habits and should introduce a Digital Wellness Curriculum covering screentime literacy, cybersafety, and mental health awareness.
• Measures such as cybersafety drills, peer mentor programmes, and mandatory daily physical activity can build resilience.
• Dependence on online teaching tools, which expanded during COVID-19,
should be reduced in favour of offline engagement.
• Families should be educated and encouraged to promote screen time limits, device-free hours and shared offline activities.
• Parental workshops should be provided through schools and community centres to train guardians in setting healthy boundaries, recognising signs of addiction, and using parental control tools effectively.
• Policies on age-based access limits may be considered, as younger users are more vulnerable to compulsive use and harmful content.
• Platforms should be made responsible for enforcing age verification and age-appropriate defaults, particularly for social media, gambling apps, auto-play features, and targeted advertising.
• Promoting simpler devices for children, such as basic phones or education-only tablets, along with enforced usage limits and content filters, can further reduce exposure to harmful material, including violent, sexual, or gambling-related content.
• Network-layer safeguards, such as ISP-level interventions, can complement such measures by offering family data plans with differentiated quotas for educational versus recreational apps and default blocking of high-risk categories, with opt-in overrides available to guardians.