The Karnataka government is seriously considering banning the use of mobile phones in schools and college campuses for students below 16 years of age. The state government has sought suggestions from the vice-chancellors of government universities on this issue.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has expressed concern over the increasing social media addiction among students. He says that excessive use of mobile and social media is having an adverse effect on children’s education, behavior and mental health. He also said that due to social media, many students are getting attracted towards bad company and activities like drug addiction.
meeting with vice chancellors
In the meeting with the Vice Chancellors, the Chief Minister said that there is a need for a comprehensive discussion on this topic. He said that many countries like Australia have imposed strict rules on the use of mobile phones among school students and Karnataka is also considering taking steps in this direction. However, this offer will be only for children below 16 years of age and not for adult students.
Why will the ban be imposed?
The government believes that if control is imposed on mobile usage for underage students, it will help them focus on their studies and prevent digital addiction. However, before taking the final decision, the government will take the opinion of all concerned parties, academicians and administrative officials.
If this proposal is implemented, Karnataka may join the list of states and countries where strict rules are already in place on mobile phone use for school students. Recently, the German government is considering banning the use of social media for children under 16 years of age. For this, the government will create a new app which will show content related to children.
