Andhra Pradesh plans a social media ban for children, citing addiction and safety concerns, as India mulls national screen time guidelines.
NEW DELHI: Authorities in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh are preparing for a potential ban on children using social media.
State IT minister Nara Lokesh said trust in social media was “breaking down” and warned that “children are slipping into relentless usage”.
“The government has decided to act,” he said in a statement, adding officials had ordered a study into legal tools for enforcing “age-appropriate access”.
Andhra Pradesh has invited major platforms including Meta, Google, X and ShareChat to discuss “global best practices”.
The move follows similar discussions in the western Indian state of Goa, which is also exploring the legality of a proposed ban.
Lokesh also flagged concerns about the online safety of women, saying many were “facing non-stop online abuse”.
The federal government’s annual economic survey recommended national guidelines on children’s screen time on Thursday.
“Policies on age-based access limits may be considered, as younger users are more vulnerable to compulsive use and harmful content,” the survey said.
Global scrutiny over social media use by minors has surged in recent months.
Australia banned social media access for under-16s in December, while French lawmakers approved a bill barring under-15s from using the platforms this week.
Several other countries and the European Union are considering similar steps.
