India's tech state Karnataka bans social media for children under 16

Record ID: 2362974

  • Title: India's tech state Karnataka bans social media for children under 16
  • Date: 7th March 2026
  • Summary: VISAKHAPATNAM, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA (MARCH 07, 2026) (ANI- No use India) VARIOUS OF CHILDREN SCROLLING MOBILE PHONES WOMAN SCROLLING MOBILE PHONE WHILE WALKING CHILD SCROLLING MOBILE PHONE WHILE WALKING CHILD SCROLLING MOBILE PHONE WHILE CYCLING (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOCAL, SRIRAM (LAST NAME NOT GIVEN), SAYING: "The initiative like banning social media for under 13, if no
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  • Keywords: Andhra Pradesh Instagram Kannada Karnataka Siddaramaiah YouTube adult content google social media ban teenagers under-16 ban
  • Location: BENGALURU, KARNATAKA/AMARAVATHI, VISAKHAPATNAM, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA
  • City: BENGALURU, KARNATAKA/AMARAVATHI, VISAKHAPATNAM, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Social Media
  • Reuters ID: LVA003NY8L83Z
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The southern Indian state of Karnataka, home to the tech hub of Bengaluru, banned the use of social media by those under the age of 16 on Friday (March 06), becoming the first in India to join global calls for more scrutiny of minors' digital usage.
    Concerns surrounding children's growing social media addiction and exposure to unrestricted internet access have fired up a global debate, prompting Australia to become the first country to ban social media for children in December. Britain, Denmark and Greece are also studying the issue and similar considerations are taking shape elsewhere in India, one of the world's largest social media markets.
    "Social media will be banned for children under the age of 16 to prevent the adverse effects of increasing mobile usage," said state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in his annual budget speech on Friday.
    He did not mention when the ban would take effect.
    Meanwhile, chief of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh state, Nana Chandrababu Naidu, said on Friday (March 6) that the state government is considering restrictions on social media use by children below the age of 13.
    India is the world's second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion internet users. For Meta, the country is its biggest market with the highest number of users on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp worldwide.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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