The announcement by the Karnataka government to ban social media for children below 16 years has triggered a political debate, with Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh attempting to project the move as an idea originally proposed by the Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government.
Presenting the 2026–27 Karnataka state budget, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday announced that the state is planning to prohibit children below the age of 16 from using social media platforms.
The move, he said, is intended to address the growing concerns over excessive mobile phone usage among children and its adverse impact on their mental health, academics and overall well-being.
“Social media will be banned for children under the age of 16 to prevent the adverse effects of increasing mobile usage,” Siddaramaiah said in his budget speech, stressing that the measure is aimed at protecting children from the negative consequences of excessive exposure to digital platforms.
Soon after the announcement, Lokesh took to social media to suggest that Karnataka’s proposal mirrors a policy idea earlier floated in Andhra Pradesh.
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Glad to see Karnataka considering restrictions on social media for those under 16 – an idea we had proposed earlier in Andhra Pradesh to protect young minds from the darker side of the digital world. Sometimes good ideas travel fast. Wishing them success in taking it forward,” Lokesh posted on X.
Lokesh had earlier indicated that the Andhra Pradesh government was exploring the possibility of bringing in legislation to restrict children below 16 years from accessing social media platforms.
Speaking to Bloomberg News on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year, he said the state was studying international models, including Australia’s proposed restrictions on social media usage by minors.
“As a state, we are studying Australia’s under-16 law, and I believe we need to create a strong legal enactment,” Lokesh said.
The proposal had in fact been under examination within the Andhra Pradesh government for several months.
On October 1, 2025, Chief Secretary K Vijayanand issued a government order constituting a Group of Ministers (GoM) to examine issues related to regulation of social media platforms and the possibility of imposing age-based restrictions.
The GoM, headed by Lokesh, includes Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar, Health Minister Y Satya Kumar, and Information and Public Relations Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy, with I&PR Commissioner K S Vishwanathan serving as the convenor.
According to officials, the committee has already held preliminary discussions and is studying international regulatory models governing children’s access to social media.
Lokesh has repeatedly argued that minors lack the maturity to interpret content on digital platforms.
“Youngsters below a certain age should not be on social media because they don’t fully understand what they are seeing,” he said, advocating a strong legal framework to regulate access.
Interestingly, Siddaramaiah had also raised similar concerns earlier during a Vice-Chancellors’ conclave in Bengaluru last month, where he discussed the growing addiction to mobile phones, online gaming and social media among students, and their impact on academic performance and physical fitness.
1772805564.png)
