Social Media Ban for Children

Context

The tragic suicide of three sisters in Ghaziabad linked to digital addiction and parental conflict reignited an intense national debate. This incident has pressured the Union government to consider a legal ban on social media for minors to address the growing public health crisis of screen addiction.

About the News

Definition: A social media ban for children involves regulatory prohibitions preventing individuals under a certain age (typically 16) from maintaining digital accounts. It shifts the burden of age verification onto tech companies through government IDs or biometric data.

Key Statistics :

Massive User Base: India hosts over 400 million users each on Instagram and Facebook as of 2026.
Teen Dominance: The ASER Report (2025-26) reveals that over 90% of Indian teenagers are active on social media.
Health Warning: The Economic Survey 2025-26 officially classified "compulsive scrolling" as a major public health concern for the youth.
Gender Divide: A significant gap persists, with only 33.3% of women having used the internet compared to 57.1% of men.
Time Consumption: 61% of urban children spend over 3 hours daily online, with many exceeding 6 hours.

Need for Social Media Ban for Children

Combating Extreme Addiction: Prolonged exposure to algorithm-driven content can lead to fatal behavioral shifts, as seen in the 2026 Ghaziabad case involving task-based digital games.
Mental Health Protection: Heavy usage is consistently linked to rising rates of anxiety, depression, and body image dissatisfaction in the 15-24 age group.
Prevention of Cyber-Grooming: Restricting access reduces the vulnerability of minors to digital predators and harmful interactions with AI chatbots.
Reducing Self-Harm Contagion: Bans limit the spread of viral "challenges" or tasks that encourage self-harming behavior.
Restoring Academic Focus: The Chief Economic Advisor noted in January 2026 that "constant scrolling" is eroding the attention spans and cognitive development of students.

Challenges to Banning Social Media

Technical Porosity: Children often bypass restrictions using VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to access restricted apps or content.
Privacy and Surveillance Risks: Enforcing the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act through mandatory ID linking creates risks of mass state surveillance.
Loss of Digital Lifelines: Marginalized youth, including queer and differently-abled individuals in rural India, rely on social media for community support unavailable in their physical surroundings.
Exacerbating Gender Inequality: Rigid age mandates may provide a pretext for families in patriarchal settings to further restrict female internet access.
Migration to "Dark" Platforms: Bans may drive users from moderated platforms (like Instagram) to unmoderated, encrypted spaces like Telegram where extremist content thrives.

Global Best Practices

Australia’s Minimum Age Law: The first nation to enforce a strict under-16 ban on platforms like X and TikTok, supported by heavy corporate fines.
Singapore’s App Store Code: Focuses on regulating app stores to enforce strict age ratings and verification before downloads occur.

Way Forward

Duty of Care: Transition from blanket bans to holding Big Tech legally accountable for "safety-by-design" in their algorithms.
Independent Regulation: Establish a dedicated expert body for digital safety to oversee platform compliance beyond standard bureaucracy.
Localized Research: Fund longitudinal studies to understand the specific impact of social media across different Indian demographics and regions.
Digital Literacy: Incorporate comprehensive digital citizenship in school curriculums to help children navigate the internet safely.
Democratic Inclusion: Ensure the voices of young people are included in the policy-making process regarding their digital rights.

Conclusion

A blunt ban may offer a temporary illusion of control, but it fails to address the systemic technical and social drivers of digital harm. India must strike a balance by compelling Big Tech to adopt rigorous safety standards while fostering a healthy media ecology that protects children without stripping them of their digital rights.

Social Media Ban for Children