Modi Ally Proposes Bill to Ban Social Media Access for Children in India
Proposed law seeks age restrictions on social media as global concern grows over children’s online safety.
A lawmaker allied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced a proposal to restrict children’s access to social media in India, adding the country to a growing global debate on the impact of online platforms on young people’s health and safety.
L.S.K. Devarayalu, a member of parliament from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), has proposed a private member’s bill that would ban children under the age of 16 from creating or using social media accounts. The draft legislation places full responsibility on social media companies to verify users’ ages and ensure compliance.
“Children are becoming addicted to social media,” Devarayalu said, adding that India is also one of the world’s largest sources of user data for foreign technology platforms. He argued that this data is being used to develop advanced artificial intelligence systems abroad, while India does not benefit economically or strategically.
The proposed Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill, which is 15 pages long and not yet publicly available, states that accounts belonging to users under 16 should be disabled if found in violation of the law.
India currently does not have a minimum age requirement for accessing social media platforms. With around 750 million smartphones and nearly one billion internet users, the country is a major growth market for companies such as Meta, YouTube, and X.
The proposal comes amid similar moves in other countries. Australia recently became the first nation to ban social media access for children under 16, while France has backed restrictions for users under 15. Britain, Denmark, and Greece are also considering age-based regulations.
Technology companies have raised concerns over such bans. Meta has previously said it supports laws that promote parental oversight but warned that outright bans could push teenagers toward unregulated and potentially unsafe platforms.
India’s Ministry of Information Technology has not commented on the proposed bill. Meanwhile, the government’s chief economic adviser recently suggested that India should consider age-based access limits to address what he described as “digital addiction.”
Although Devarayalu’s proposal is a private member’s bill and not introduced by the government, such initiatives often lead to parliamentary debate and can influence future legislation. His party, the Telugu Desam Party, governs Andhra Pradesh and plays a key role in supporting Modi’s coalition government at the national level.
