The southern Indian state of Karnataka, home to the tech hub Bengaluru, on Friday announced a ban on social media use for children under 16. The move makes it the first Indian state to join growing global efforts calling for stricter oversight of minors’ digital activity.
Rising concerns over children’s increasing social media addiction and their exposure to unrestricted internet access have intensified global debate on the issue. These concerns prompted Australia to become the first country to ban social media for children in December.
Several other countries are also examining similar measures. Britain, Denmark and Greece are studying the issue, while discussions around comparable restrictions are also emerging in India, one of the world’s largest social media markets.
“With the objective of preventing adverse effects of increasing mobile usage on children, usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16,” state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who uses only one name, said in his annual budget speech on Friday. However, he did not specify when the ban would come into effect.
India is the world’s second-largest smartphone market, with around 750 million devices and one billion internet users. For Meta, India represents its biggest market, with the highest number of users globally on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
A 2019–20 survey by India’s federal health ministry showed that less than one-quarter of Karnataka’s population is under the age of 15. The state’s total population stands at 67.6 million, according to a 2025 presentation by the federal government think tank Niti Aayog.
Elsewhere in India, similar discussions are gaining traction. Goa, a neighbouring state of Karnataka, is also considering a comparable ban, its IT minister said in January. During the same month, a lawmaker in Andhra Pradesh proposed a bill aimed at restricting social media use for children.
