Andhra Pradesh considers curbs on social media use for children below 16
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Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government will study legal frameworks to ensure “age-appropriate access” to social media platforms, Minister for Information Technology and Electronics Nara Lokesh said on Thursday.
Lokesh said the initiative aims to make social media a safer space and curb its harmful impact, particularly on women and children.
“Trust in social media is breaking down. Children are slipping into relentless usage, affecting their attention spans and education. Women are facing non-stop online abuse. This cannot be ignored,” Lokesh said in a post on X.
He added that the government has decided to act on the issue. “In the meeting of the Group of Ministers on Social Media, we have ordered a study of legal frameworks for age-appropriate access. We have also invited major platforms such as Meta, X, Google and ShareChat to the next GoM meeting to examine global best practices. We will ensure social media becomes a safer space and reduce its damaging impact, especially for women and children,” he said.
The Group of Ministers, headed by Lokesh, was constituted last week to examine the possibility of restricting or banning access to certain social media platforms for children below 16 years.
Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, a member of the panel, said the government would study models being followed by various states and countries to identify the most suitable framework for Andhra Pradesh.
Citing international examples, Anitha noted that the Australian government has introduced legislation setting 16 years as the minimum age for social media use and making platforms responsible for ensuring compliance.
Earlier, Lokesh had said at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos that the State government was contemplating a ban on social media access for children below 16 years, similar to the Australian model, to protect them from its harmful effects.
He also said the government intends to wean children away from social media, stressing that youngsters below a certain age should not be on such platforms as they do not fully understand the content they are exposed to, and that a strong legal framework is required to curb the menace.
With IANS inputs