PANAJI: According to statements from government officials, as well as Goa’s IT Minster, the states of Goa and Andhra Pradesh could ban social media platforms for kids and teenagers below the age of 16, implementing strict parental controls over social media sites, if such a ban or policy ever came into force.
Rohan Khaunte, Goa’s IT Minister, while speaking to Reuters, said, “If possible, (we will) implement a similar ban on children below the age of 16 for usage of social media. Details will follow soon.” He was referring to similar measures implemented in Australia. Khaunte’s remarks have triggered speculation about how such a ban would be implemented and enforced as it won’t be possible without the involvement of parents and school authorities. Andhra Pradesh’s IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh had said the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led government was mulling bringing in an Australia-like law banning social media for children under the age of 16, and that a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by him has been set up to study the proposal.
Parents and school authorities we spoke to were skeptical over the implementation of such bans and it’s overall repercussions. With most school kids below 16 using mobile phones and laptops to research their homework or projects and social media platforms also providing valuable inputs at times, a ban on social media will mean disabling valuable inputs for school research projects.
Such a ban can be implemented only if adults and parents co-operate and enforce the ban to the extent required and possible. If kids continue to use their elder siblings or parents’ phones they will still have access to social media sites and the ban will remain only on paper.
Some parents said there could be restrictions on the number of hours, enabling genuine access for home work and other school projects, while preventing unlimited use or consumption of addictive or improper content.
With concerns growing over mental health risks in kids, particularly those exposed to several hours of social media and associated content, including videos, reels, etc., some of which are not suitable for kids, both Goa and Andhra Pradesh have activated teams to study the issue.
Responding to the latest speculations, Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, as quoted by the Times of India, said that it supports laws which require parental oversight but “governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated or clearly adult sites via third-party sources.”
In another response to Reuters via email, a Meta spokesperson said, “We’ll comply with social media bans, but with teens using ~40 apps weekly, targeting a handful of companies, particularly Big Tech won’t keep them safe.”
While Andhra Pradesh recently set up a panel of senior ministers to make recommendations within a month after studying global regulation efforts as those in Australia, Goa’s IT Minister has also set up internal teams to study the issue.
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