Indian lawmaker proposes ban on social media use for children under 16

A member of parliament allied with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put forward legislation seeking to prohibit young people from using social media platforms, bringing the country into a worldwide conversation about how these apps affect children.

Lawmaker L.S.K. Devarayalu spoke to Reuters on Friday about his concerns. “Not only are our children becoming addicted to social media, but India is also one of the world’s largest producers of data for foreign platforms,” he said. He pointed out that right now, there are no rules protecting young people from being targeted by algorithms. “Based on this data, these companies are creating advanced AI systems, effectively turning Indian users into unpaid data providers, while the strategic and economic benefits are reaped elsewhere,” he added.

Government survey highlights digital addiction concerns

The timing matters because just days earlier, on January 29, 2026, the government released its yearly Economic Survey, calling for India to look at putting age restrictions in place. The report warned about “digital addiction” and children seeing harmful material online.

India represents a massive opportunity for tech companies. The country has 750 million smartphones in use and over a billion people online. Right now, there is no minimum age requirement for accessing social media in India.

Devarayalu has written a 15-page bill called the Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill. Reuters was able to review the document, though it has not been made available to the public. The proposed law states that nobody under 16 “shall be permitted to create, maintain, or hold” a social media account. Any accounts belonging to underage users would need to be shut down.

The bill calls for platforms to use “highly effective” methods to verify how old their users are. “We are asking that the entire onus of ensuring users’ age be placed on the social media platforms,” Devarayalu explained.

The government’s chief economic adviser, V. Anantha Nageswaran, drew attention on Thursday when he said India needs to develop policies around age limits to fight “digital addiction.” The Economic Survey 2025-26 specifically pointed out that “younger users are more vulnerable to compulsive use” and said platforms should be held accountable for features like auto-play and ads targeted at children.

Global momentum builds for youth social media restrictions

India would be joining other nations taking action. Last month, Australia became the first country to ban social media for anyone under 16. Parents and child safety groups praised the decision, but technology companies and people concerned about free speech criticized it. This week, France’s National Assembly supported a law to keep children under 15 off social media. Britain, Denmark, and Greece are looking into similar measures. Spain has moved forward with age-checking systems, and Malaysia plans to have its ban working by the end of 2026.

Three major companies, Meta, which runs Facebook, Alphabet, which owns YouTube, and X, did not respond to emails on Saturday asking for their thoughts on the Indian proposal. Meta has previously said it supports laws giving parents more control but warned that “governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites.” The industry has argued for age checks at the app store level instead of making each platform handle it separately.

India’s IT ministry also did not reply to requests for comment. However, people familiar with the ministry say officials have been talking about whether age-checking technology actually works. Ideas being discussed include using facial recognition to estimate age or linking verification to government identification cards.

This is what’s known as a private member’s bill, meaning it was not introduced by a federal minister. Even so, these bills often spark debate in parliament and shape future laws. Devarayalu belongs to the Telugu Desam Party, which runs the southern state of Andhra Pradesh and plays an important role in Modi’s coalition government.

Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh’s IT Minister, recently announced his state is looking into legal ways to enforce age requirements. He mentioned a loss of “digital trust” as a reason. The state of Goa has also started examining whether individual states can set their own restrictions.

As both state and national efforts move forward together, the idea of requiring users to be at least 16 years old is shifting from just talk to becoming a major part of India’s digital policy plans for 2026.

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