Andhra Pradesh considers Australia-style social media ban for children under 16

The Andhra Pradesh government is mulling a ban on social media, similar to Australia's under-16 social media ban. The ban will curb the usage of social media for children under the age of 16. The proposal is yet to become a law; it is now at the preliminary discussion and drafting stage. Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh Minister of Information Technology and Human Resources, discussed the idea while attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
As a state, we are studying Australia's under-16 law, and yes, I believe we need to create a strong legal enactment,” Nara Lokesh told Bloomberg. The Minister cited reasons that youngsters under a certain age “do not understand what they are seeing”.
There are already parental controls for minors accessing social media in India. The federal government has yet to express any opinion on placing wider bans on Social Media.
However, there are technical limitations in moderation, such as how to verify age online, whether state-level rules can be implemented without the assistance of the platform or if the platform would assist in such implications. Australia implemented a nationwide ban that restricts under-16s from creating or using social media accounts, requiring tech companies to verify age or face penalties.

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Why are the supporters suggesting a ban?

The supporters of the ban suggest that this would be a proactive step from the government to restrict children from mental strain and harmful online content. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X, and Facebook, by algorithmic design, prioritise and normalise content that is vulgar, violent and obscene due to economic incentives. This hugely influences minors who are impressionable and perceive social media as “cool” and shape their real and virtual identity around it. Researchers also suggest that these hugely impact on children and even adults in their self-perception and body image.