BENGALURU: Australia has made global headlines by implementing a world-first, stringent social media ban, requiring platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to block access for users under the age of sixteen. This landmark legislation, driven by urgent concerns over youth mental health, cyberbullying, and addiction, forces platforms to assume the responsibility of age verification.
While hailed by many Australian families as a win against “Big Tech,” this powerful move immediately raises a vital question for India: Is a blanket social media ban the “need of the hour” for the world’s most populous nation, which is also home to its largest youth demographic?
The Alarming Indian Context
The concerns that drove Canberraβs decision resonate deeply within the Indian landscape. Studies by health experts and institutions like NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences) consistently highlight the severe impact of excessive social media use on Indian adolescents:
- Mental Health Crisis: Researchers link high social media usage not just to anxiety and low self-esteem but also to a measurable increase in ADHD-like symptoms and a decline in attention span among children, effects that are more strongly associated with social apps than with video games or television.
- Safety Threats: India faces endemic issues of online sexual exploitation (CSAM), cyberbullying, and the pressure on children to become “content” creators, as noted by public figures like Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty.
- Enforcement Failure: Despite most major platforms setting a minimum age of thirteen, the lack of effective age verification means millions of Indian children below this threshold continue to have accounts, often exposing them to inappropriate content and predatory behaviour.
Why a Blanket Ban is Complicated for India
While the arguments for protecting children are strong, a simple Australian-style ban faces unique hurdles in India:
- Shared Devices and Digital Literacy: In many Indian households, especially outside metros, children frequently share devices with parents or access the internet through an adult’s account. An outright ban targeting an individualβs age would be a “logistical nightmare” and easily bypassed.
- Access to Opportunity: For many youths in smaller towns and rural areas, social media platforms are not just for entertainment but serve as critical tools for accessing educational content, skill-building, and connecting with broader communities, potentially limiting their digital empowerment.
- Risk of Unregulated Spaces: As some experts argue, a total ban might push children away from major, somewhat regulated platforms and into smaller, unmonitored online spaces where safety risks are even higher.
The Way Forward: Regulation over Prohibition
India’s current approach, governed by laws like the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, focuses on putting the onus on platforms. The DPDP Act mandates verifiable parental consent for processing children’s data and prohibits tracking or targeted advertising directed at minors.
Instead of a complete ban, the consensus among many Indian experts and child safety advocates is a multi-pronged approach:
- Platform Accountability: Enforcing strict compliance with the DPDP Act, including significant fines for platforms that fail to use age verification or remove harmful content.
- Digital Literacy: Investing heavily in large-scale digital safety and literacy campaigns for children, parents, and teachers, empowering them to navigate online spaces responsibly.
- Design for Safety: Mandating that platforms adopt a ‘safety-by-design’ approach, incorporating features like default privacy settings and parental controls, rather than relying on blunt age restrictions alone.
Australiaβs ban is a powerful signal that the world is ready to challenge Big Techβs business model for the sake of children. For India, the need of the hour is not necessarily a ban, but a meticulous, well-enforced policy that balances protection with the continued right to digital access and expression.