‘No Social Media for Under-16s,’ Says Home Minister Anitha

The State government has constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) to study the feasibility of restricting or banning social media use by children below 16 , Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha announced on Wednesday. The decision comes amid rising social media misuse and its growing impact on children’s mental health .

The GoM , headed by IT Minister Nara Lokesh , will include Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha , Health Minister Satya Kumar , and ministers from other departments. The panel will study policies in other States and international best practices to develop a State-specific model .

Referring to global developments, Ms. Anitha noted that Australia’s law fixing 16 years as the minimum age for social media use has sparked worldwide debate. A key feature of the law is placing the responsibility of age verification on social media companies . The GoM will examine the Australian model along with other national and international frameworks .

“We will prepare a comprehensive report on regulating social media misuse and the extent of State-level implementation . The report, with key recommendations , will also be sent to the Central government ,” the Minister said.

Clarifying the government’s stand, Ms. Anitha said the focus is not immediately on a ban , but on effective regulation to curb misuse .

She pointed out that many platforms, including Facebook , collect user age details but do not verify the authenticity of the information. This allows children to create accounts using false age details , exposing them to harmful content . She suggested mandating robust age-verification mechanisms , including document-based verification .

Concerns are growing nationwide over excessive social media use among children and adolescents , leading to social and psychological issues . Problems such as online harassment , access to obscene content , fake news , gaming addiction , and social media dependency are worrying parents, educators, and policymakers .

Officials noted that the absence of a legal age limit for social media use in India has worsened the issue. During his Davos visit , IT Minister Nara Lokesh said the government is examining restrictions for children under 16 , a move welcomed by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) .

After discussions with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu , the Group of Ministers is expected to submit its report within a month . Given the limited powers of States and the scope of Central laws , the government believes Centre’s cooperation will be crucial, with officials saying the report could pave the way for a national-level policy .