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An alliance member of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put forward a bill to prohibit social media use among children, as India, the world’s largest market for Meta and YouTube, joins a global conversation on social media’s effects on youth health and safety.
“Our children are not only becoming addicted to social media, but India also ranks among the top data producers for foreign platforms,” stated lawmaker LSK Devarayalu to Reuters on Friday.
“These companies leverage this data to develop sophisticated AI systems, effectively turning Indian users into unpaid data sources, while the strategic and economic advantages are realized elsewhere,” he added.
Last month, Australia became the first nation to restrict social media access for kids under 16, a move welcomed by many parents and child advocates but criticized by tech giants and free speech defenders alike.
France’s National Assembly recently approved legislation to ban social media for those under 15. Meanwhile, the UK, Denmark, and Greece are contemplating similar measures.
On Saturday, Facebook owner Meta, Google’s YouTube, and platform X did not respond to emails requesting comments on India’s proposed legislation. Meta has expressed support for laws that allow parental supervision but warned that bans could push teens toward less regulated, potentially riskier websites.
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology also declined to comment. As the second-largest smartphone market globally, with 750 million devices and over a billion internet users, India is significant for social media companies and currently lacks age restrictions for platform access.
Devarayalu’s confidential 15-page bill, titled Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety)—which Reuters reviewed—stipulates that children under 16 are prohibited from creating or maintaining social media accounts. If such accounts are discovered, they should be deactivated.
“We’re calling for the responsibility of verifying user age to rest solely with social media platforms,” Devarayalu explained.
The government’s chief economic advisor recently suggested establishing age-based online access limits to curb digital addiction.
Although Devarayalu’s bill is a private member’s proposal, such legislation often prompts parliamentary debates and can influence lawmaking. He is affiliated with the Telugu Desam Party, which governs Andhra Pradesh in southern India and is a crucial part of Modi’s coalition government.
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