Indian state of Andhra Pradesh mulls social media ban for children

Authorities in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh are preparing the ground for a ban on children using social media, a minister said on Thursday, as concerns mount globally over online addiction and abuse.

Nara Lokesh, the southern state's information technology minister, said trust in social media was "breaking down" and warned that "children are slipping into relentless usage."

"The government has decided to act," he said in a statement posted on X, adding that officials had ordered a study into legal tools for enforcing "age-appropriate access".

India, the world's most populous nation, has about one billion internet users with all cities and 95 percent of villages connected, according to government figures.

Andhra Pradesh authorities have invited major platforms including Meta, Google, X and ShareChat to discuss and evaluate "global best practices," Lokesh said.

The move follows similar discussions in the western Indian state of Goa, where authorities were exploring the legality of a proposed social media ban for children.

Lokesh also flagged concerns about the online safety of women, saying many were "facing non-stop online abuse".

"This cannot be ignored," he added.

The federal government weighed in on Thursday, with the annual economic survey recommending national guidelines on children's screen time.

"Policies on age-based access limits may be considered, as younger users are more vulnerable to compulsive use and harmful content," the survey said.

Global scrutiny over social media use by minors has surged in recent months.

Australia banned social media access for under?16s in December, while French lawmakers this week approved a bill barring under?15s from using the platforms.

Several other countries as well as the European Union are considering similar steps.

Agence France-Presse