India's tech state Karnataka bans social media for children under 16
Karnataka has banned social media use for children under 16 to curb the harmful effects of excessive mobile usage, becoming the first state in India to introduce such a restriction. The move was announced by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during his budget speech.
Aditya Kalra/Reuters
March 06, 2026
A photo of a mobile phone showing social media apps courtesy of Wix.
Ingmar via Unsplash/Wix
The southern Indian state of Karnataka, home to the tech hub of Bengaluru, has banned the use of social media by those under the age of 16, state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Friday, becoming the first in India to do so.
"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," Siddaramaiah, who uses only one name, said in his budget speech.
-Aditya Kalra/Reuters
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