Social Media Ban for Under-16s in This State? Minister Reveals Reason

Minister Lokesh said that children of a young age should not be on such platforms, as they are unable to properly understand the content present there. For this reason, strict laws are needed.

The Andhra Pradesh government is considering a ban on social media for children under 16 years of age. This information was provided by the state's IT Minister, Nara Lokesh. In an interview with Bloomberg during the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, the minister stated that children below a certain age are not fully capable of understanding the content they encounter on social media. Therefore, a strong legal framework is needed to protect children.

What did Minister Lokesh say?

During this, Minister Lokesh said that young children should not be on such platforms as they cannot properly comprehend the content present there. For this reason, strict laws are necessary.

‘Will become the first state in the country’

According to media reports, the state government is seriously deliberating on this proposal. If implemented, Andhra Pradesh will be the first state in the country to impose such a ban on children's social media usage.

The TDP's national spokesperson, Deepak Reddy, has supported this decision. He stated that during the previous YSRCP government, social media was misused, and insulting and objectionable attacks were made against women.

Deepak Reddy said, "Children below a certain age are not emotionally mature enough to understand the negative and harmful content available online. This is why the Andhra government is studying best practices adopted globally, including Australia's under-16 social media law."

Australia imposed a ban

It is worth noting that Australia's Anthony Albanese government had banned major social media platforms like TikTok, X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat for children under 16 years of age. Under this law, children cannot create new accounts nor can they keep old accounts active.