India could soon introduce age limits on social media use after a lawmaker allied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed a ban for children under 16, citing concerns over digital addiction and online safety.
Lawmaker L.S.K. Devarayalu said excessive social media use is affecting children’s well-being and raised alarms about Indian user data being used by foreign technology companies to develop advanced AI systems.
The proposal follows similar global moves. Australia recently became the first country to ban social media for users under 16, while France has backed restrictions for children under 15. Other European nations are also considering age-based limits.
Major platforms, including Meta, YouTube’s parent Alphabet, and X, have not commented on the Indian proposal. Meta has previously warned that full bans could push teenagers toward less regulated platforms.
India’s Ministry of Information Technology has not issued a response to the proposal.
With around 750 million smartphones and nearly one billion internet users, India is the world’s second-largest smartphone market and a crucial growth region for social media companies. Currently, the country does not enforce a minimum age requirement for accessing social platforms.
Devarayalu’s proposed Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill would prevent anyone under the age of 16 from creating or holding a social media account. The bill places responsibility on social media companies to verify users’ ages and disable accounts found to violate the rule.
The issue has gained further attention after India’s chief economic adviser recently suggested that age-based access policies could help address rising concerns over digital addiction.
