NEW DELHI – A key ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced a private member’s bill to prohibit children under 16 from using social media, thrusting the world’s largest market for platforms like Meta and YouTube into the intensifying global conversation on youth mental health and online safety.
Lawmaker L.S.K. Devarayalu, from the Telugu Desam Party that governs southern Andhra Pradesh and bolsters Modi’s coalition, argued that Indian children are growing addicted to these apps. “Not only are our children becoming addicted to social media, but India is also one of the world’s largest producers of data for foreign platforms,” he told Reuters on January 30. “Based on this data, these companies are creating advanced artificial intelligence systems, effectively turning Indian users into unpaid data providers, while the strategic and economic benefits are reaped elsewhere.
“The 15-page Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill, reviewed by Reuters but not yet public, mandates that no one under 16 can create, maintain, or hold a social media account. Violators’ accounts would be disabled, with platforms bearing full responsibility for age verification. “We are asking that the entire onus of ensuring users’ age be placed on the social media platforms,” Devarayalu said.
India boasts 750 million smartphones and over a billion internet users as the second-largest smartphone market, yet imposes no minimum age for social media access—making it prime territory for app growth.
The proposal echoes a wave of international action. Australia led in January by becoming the first nation to ban social media for under-16s, a step praised by parents and advocates but slammed by tech giants and free-speech groups. France’s National Assembly recently approved a ban for under-15s, while Britain, Denmark, and Greece weigh similar measures.
Meta supports parental controls but cautions against outright bans: Governments “should be careful not to push teens towards less safe, unregulated sites.” India’s chief economic adviser amplified the debate on January 29, urging age-based limits to combat “digital addiction.”
As a private member’s bill, not government-backed, the legislation is unlikely to pass soon but often sparks parliamentary debates and shapes policy.