The Centre is not currently looking to ban social media for minors but is "committed" to finding solutions for issues that may crop up due to it, according to sources on Tuesday.
The government is not actively working on any proposal to limit access to social media for minors under the age of 18. It is, however, engaging in active discussion with industry, academia and psychology experts on the issues surrounding social media. As per sources, the Indian government is finding the "right solution" to address concerns around cyberbullying, social anxiety and depression.
On Sept 29, the centre had informed the Supreme Court that it will amend the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules to stop children under 18 from opening social media accounts, making it a statutory obligation for platforms to block such registrations. This will likely no longer be the case after its recent clarification.
This development has come after a global push to restrict or ban social media access to minors, with countries such as Australia, Malaysia, Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey enforcing legal restrictions. Organisations such as the European Union have also proposed legislation, dubbed the “EU KIDS Act”, which would ban children under 13 from accessing social media, while allowing limited and supervised access for teenagers aged 13 and 14.
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Prominent countries based in Europe, such as the United Kingdom, announced a ban for social media usage with regards to children under the age of 16. New Zealand introduced the Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill to its Parliament on Aug. 24, 2026. This bill would require high-risk social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook to take reasonable steps to check users are over the age of 16.
The country's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told reporters that one in three children between the ages of 13 and 17 spends at least five hours on social media a day, exposing themselves to harmful content, addictive technology and pressures they are not equipped to deal with. He stated this behaviour was affecting their family life, mental health, sleep and education.
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