The Karnataka government has announced a ban on social media usage for children below 16 years of age in view of increasing smartphone addiction, online safety risks and excessive screen time among children. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah informed about this decision while presenting the state budget for 2026–27 on Friday. The Chief Minister said that this step is being taken to prevent the negative effects of increasing mobile usage on children. According to him, excessive use of social media at an early age can adversely affect children’s education, mental health and social behavior.
With this announcement, Karnataka has become the first state in the country to take such a step and impose a clear ban on social media for children below 16 years of age. Earlier, states like Andhra Pradesh and Goa had also talked about considering possible steps in this direction.
In fact, the idea of controlling children’s access to social media had been under discussion within the Karnataka government for some time. State IT and Biotechnology Minister Priyank Kharge had said in the Assembly this year that the government was considering measures to ensure responsible use of artificial intelligence and social media among the youth.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao had also expressed concern about the increasing screen time among children. At the same time, BJP MLA and former minister Suresh Kumar had also appealed to the government to take this issue seriously, saying that uncontrolled social media use can affect both education and family environment.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier also discussed the issue with vice-chancellors of universities and sought their opinion on whether the use of mobile phones should be banned for children below 16 years of age.
During this time, the debate regarding children’s social media use is intensifying around the world. Many countries have taken steps towards banning or imposing strict rules on social media for youth. Australia has recently taken strict measures to limit social media access for underage users. Britain and Finland are also considering similar security measures. Some countries in Europe, such as France and Spain, have imposed limits on students’ smartphone use in schools to reduce distractions and increase focus on studies.
However, experts believe that it is not possible to control children’s digital usage by merely imposing restrictions. The Economic Survey of India 2025–26 also highlights excessive smartphone use among youth as a growing concern, which has been linked to sleep problems, anxiety, lack of attention and academic stress.
According to cyber security experts, children often share personal information online, which can put their privacy and security at risk. Apart from this, the danger of online grooming is also increasing on social media and gaming platforms, where criminals try to exploit children by gradually building their trust.
Artificial intelligence-based algorithms and chatbots have further compounded this risk, as they keep children on platforms for longer periods of time and also collect behavioral data. Despite this, experts also believe that digital platforms also provide opportunities for learning, creativity and entrepreneurship for the youth. Therefore, many policy-makers are pushing for balancing measures like age-based safeguards, better privacy rules, parental controls and digital literacy programmes.
With the proposed move by the Karnataka government, the debate is now likely to intensify on how to keep children safe from the dangers of the online world while also allowing them to take advantage of digital opportunities.
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