Karnataka To Ban Social Media For Children Below 16

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today proposed a ban on social media use for children below the age of 16 in the state. The announcement was made as the Chief Minister presented his 17th budget.

"With the objective of preventing adverse effects of increasing mobile usage on children, usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16," Siddaramaiah said. 

The proposal comes amid rising concerns about excessive screen time, declining academic focus, behavioural changes, and mental health challenges among teenagers. The government believes that unrestricted access to smartphones has contributed significantly to social media obsession, exposing children to harmful content and, in some cases, substance abuse networks.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had raised the issue during a discussion with vice chancellors of government universities on Sunday, seeking their views on the feasibility and implications of such a move.

"We have seen that the government has come out on the floor of the house in its budget statement that it is the intention of the government to restrict social media usage below the age of 16. And it's a very important issue in society. Every family is facing this issue,' Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad told NDTV. 

Karnataka State Budget has been pegged at Rs 4,48,004 crore, with a focus on technology-driven growth, infrastructure development, and environmental sustainability.

Presenting the Budget, Siddaramaiah said that Karnataka plays a distinctive role in national and international trade, and rapid developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are transforming global production systems. He emphasised that innovations in science and technology are increasingly shaping the trajectory of the state. 

In this context, he said the Budget has been presented with responsibility and foresight to move forward with the resolve to "turn fire into light."