The Karnataka government has banned the use of social media for children below 16 years of age in the state. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced this while presenting the state budget on Friday (March 6, 2026). CM Siddaramaiah said that this decision has been taken to prevent the adverse effects of increasing use of mobile phones on children.
Last month, Siddaramaiah had discussed this issue in the Vice-Chancellors’ Conference held in Bengaluru and sought opinion from the Vice-Chancellors. During the discussion, the Chief Minister had expressed concern about the impact of social media on mobile addiction, online gaming, children’s education and physical fitness.
Karnataka Information Technology and Biotechnology (IT&BT) Minister Priyank Kharge had said in the Karnataka Assembly on January 30 that in view of the increasing use of social media among the youth, the state government is seriously considering bringing some measures to ensure the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that this is a serious issue. Finland has taken such action and the United Kingdom is also considering similar action. He said that Australia has already banned the use of social media for children of certain age groups. Mallikarjun Kharge said that we have also started talking with stakeholders to see what can be done to avoid excessive use of social media.
Australia has taken strict measures to limit access to social media for underage users. In some other countries in Europe, including France and Spain, schools have also made strict rules on the use of smartphones in classes to reduce distractions and improve students’ concentration.
