Sarita Chaganti Singh
NEW DELHI, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allies have introduced a bill to ban children from using social media, as the world’s largest Meta and YouTube markets join a global debate over the impact of social media on the health and safety of young people.
“Not only are our children addicted to social media, but India is also one of the world’s largest producers of data on foreign platforms,” lawmaker LSK Devarayalu told Reuters on Friday.
“Based on this data, these companies are creating advanced artificial intelligence systems, effectively turning Indian users into free 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, 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 legislation to ban social media use by children under 15, while the UK, Denmark and Greece are studying the issue.
Facebook operator Meta, YouTube parent Alphabet and X did not respond to emails on Saturday seeking comment on the Indian legislation. Meta said it supports parental supervision laws but “governments considering bans should be careful not to push teenagers to less safe, unregulated sites.”
India’s Information Technology Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
India, the world’s second-largest smartphone market with 750 million devices and 1 billion internet users, is a major growth market for social media apps and has no minimum age.
Devarayalu’s 15-page Social Media (Age Restriction and Online Safety) Bill, which has not been made public but has been seen by Reuters, says that no one under 16 years of age “shall create, maintain or hold” a social media account and that anyone found to have a social media account should have it disabled.
“We hold social media platforms to take full responsibility for ensuring the age of their users,” Devarayalu said.
India should draft age-based access restriction policy to tackle “digital addiction”, the government’s chief economic adviser said on Thursday, raising concerns.
Devarayalu’s legislation is a private member’s bill and was not introduced in parliament by a federal minister, but such bills often trigger parliamentary debate and influence legislation.
He comes from the Telugu Democratic Party, which governs the southern state of Andhra Pradesh and is crucial to Modi’s coalition government.
(Reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh; Editing by Aditya Kalra and William Mallard)
