NEW DELHI: An ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a bill to ban social media for children, as the world’s largest Meta marketplace and YouTube join a global debate over the impact of social media on the health and safety of young people.
“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,” said MP LSK Devarayalu. Reuters Friday.
“Based on this data, these companies are creating advanced AI systems, effectively turning Indian users into unpaid data providers, while the strategic and economic benefits are reaped elsewhere,” he said.
Australia last month became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access, a move welcomed by many parents and children’s advocates but criticized by big tech companies and free speech advocates.
France’s National Assembly this week backed a law banning children under 15 from accessing social media, while Britain, Denmark and Greece are studying the issue.
Facebook operator Meta YouTube, parent of Alphabet and X, did not respond to emails seeking comment on the Indian legislation on Saturday. Meta said she supports parental monitoring laws, but that “governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites.”
India’s IT ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
India, the world’s second-largest smartphone market with 750 million devices and one billion internet users, is a key growth market for social media apps and has no minimum age for access.
Devarayalu’s 15-page Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill, which is not public but has been seen by Reutersstates that no person under the age of 16 “shall be permitted to create, maintain or own” a social media account and that those who have one should deactivate it.
“We demand that full responsibility for ensuring the age of users be placed on social media platforms,” Devarayalu said.
The government’s top economic adviser drew attention on Thursday when he said India should develop policies on age-based access limits to combat “digital addiction”.
Devarayalu’s legislation is a private member’s bill – not proposed in Parliament by a federal minister – but such bills often trigger debates in Parliament and influence the making of laws.
He hails from the Telugu Desam Party, which governs the southern state of Andhra Pradesh and plays a key role in Modi’s coalition government.
