India’s southern state Karnataka has reportedly banned the use of social media by users under the age of 16, becoming the first state in Indian to take this step.
Concerns surrounding children’s growing social media addiction and exposure to unrestricted access to the internet have led to a global debate on the topic, leading Australia to become the first country to ban social media for children, with France and Portugal following suit.
“With the objective of preventing adverse effects of increasing mobile usage on children, usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16,” state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during an annual budget speech on February 28, Reuters reported.
He did, however, not specific when the ban will take effect.
