State technology minister Nara Lokesh said that the government was studying Australia’s ban to formulate a “strong legal framework” to bar children from accessing social media
Doubling down on Lokesh’s comments, ruling TDP’s spokesperson Deepak Reddy said that the move is necessary to protect women and children on social media
It is pertinent to note that Australia last year banned children under the age of 16 from using major social media platforms including Tiktok, X, Facebook and Instagram
The Andhra Pradesh government is reportedly mulling banning social media platforms for children below the age of 16 years.
Speaking with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, state technology minister Nara Lokesh earlier said that the government was studying Australia’s similar ban to formulate a “strong legal framework” to bar children from accessing social media.
He reportedly said that children below a certain age should not be on such platforms, adding that they do not fully understand the content they are exposed to, adding that a strong legal framework may be required to address this challenge.
‘As a state, we are studying Australia’s under-16 law, and yes, I believe we need to create a strong legal enactment,” Lokesh reportedly said.
Meanwhile, ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has reportedly doubled down on the plan. TDP’s national spokesperson Deepak Reddy told The Hindu businessline that the move is necessary to protect women and children on social media.
“Children below a certain age are not emotionally mature enough to comprehend the negative and harmful content that is freely available online. That is why the Andhra Pradesh government is studying global best practices and examining Australia’s under-16 social media law,” he reportedly said.
On a question about social media regulation primarily being a Union subject, Reddy said that the state government would work with the Centre to decide what could be done to ensure the safety of children.
It is pertinent to note that Australia last year banned children under the age of 16 from using major social media platforms including Tiktok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. Following the ban, existing profiles of minors were deactivated while new kids under the threshold were barred from setting up new accounts.
The Australian government has reportedly noted that the ban would reduce the negative impact of social media’s “design features that encourage (young people) to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing”.
While there has been no proposal before the Union government to ban social media platforms for minors, the Centre has, over the past few years, tightened the noose around digital intermediaries.
The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 mandates platforms to comply with take down orders or lose safe harbour provisions. Last year, the Centre also proposed amendments to the IT Rules to curb the growing menace of AI-generated deepfake content.
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