By Manoj Kumar and Munsif Vengattil
NEW DELHI, Jan 29 (Reuters) – India’s chief economic adviser called on the government to set age-based limits on access to social media apps, to counter “digital addiction”, cautioning against children’s use of platforms in the largest user market for Meta and YouTube.
Such a shift would pull India in line with a growing global trend, after Australia became the first nation last year to ban social media for children younger than 16.
On Monday, France’s National Assembly backed legislation to ban children under 15 from social media and Britain, Denmark and Greece are studying the issue.
The adviser, V. Anantha Nageswaran, recommended in India’s annual economic survey that families promote screen-time limits, device-free hours and shared offline activities.
“Policies on age-based access limits may be considered, as younger users are more vulnerable to compulsive use and harmful content,” he wrote.
“Platforms should be made responsible for enforcing age verification and age-appropriate defaults.”
The recommendations are not binding on the government, but are reflected in policy discussions in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Past recommendations have prompted government tax reforms, easing rules on Chinese investment and stronger digital infrastructure.
India, the world’s No. 2 smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion internet users, is a key growth marketfor social media apps, and does not set a minimum age for access.
BIG MARKET FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook operator Meta, YouTube-parent Alphabet and X did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Cheap telecom data plans have boosted use of social media apps in recent years.
More than half of young smartphone users reported using digital platforms for education, while about 75% use them for social media, the survey report said.
“Digital addiction negatively affects academic performance and workplace productivity due to distractions, ‘sleep debt’, and reduced focus,” Nageswaran added.
‘CHILDREN SLIPPING INTO RELENTLESS USAGE’
The recommendation follows growing efforts among Indian states to rein in screen time for young people.
The coastal state of Goa and the southern state of Andhra Pradesh have said they are studying Australia’s regulatory framework, with an eye to similar bans for children.
“Trust in social media is breaking down,” Nara Lokesh, the infotech minister in Andhra Pradesh, wrote on X on Thursday, saying the state would study legal frameworks for age-appropriate access.
“Children are slipping into relentless usage, affecting their attention spans and education.”
Some activists and tech experts, however, say that age-based curbs do not work as children can bypass them with fake identification documents to set up accounts.
“Instead … the state should fund programs to build awareness among children and parents on developing protocols for healthy and safe digital media usage,” said Meghna Bal, director of research firm Esya Centre.
Meta has previously said it backs laws for parental oversight but advised, “Governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites.”
(Reporting by Manoj Kumar, Aditi Shah, Arpan Chaturvedi, Munsif Vengattil; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Neil Fullick and Clarence Fernandez)
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