Kids and Social Media: GoM to Submit its Views on Curbs Soon

DC CORRESPONDENT

VIJAYAWADA, JAN. 23

Home minister Vangalapudi Anitha has said the Group of Ministers that reviewed existing laws and guidelines about digital platforms, would examine whether children below age 16 should be restricted or even barred from online and social media platforms.

One proposal under discussion is the mandatory submission of age-proof documents to authenticate users.

Anitha said on Friday that the high-level panel would submit its recommendations to the chief minister within a month. The government has set the ball rolling on a sensitive but increasingly urgent debate, she said.

Education and electronics minister Nara Lokesh, during the World Economic Forum at Davos, said that AP was studying Australia’s under-16 law, and that “we need to take strong legal steps.”

The central government, he said, was yet to express its opinion on regulating social media use for teenagers.

If the regulations come into force here, the AP government's new social media policy would be the first in the country to start tackling the mental health issues arising from minors addicted to social media.

Anitha recalled that the GoM was formed in October 2025 to study how the state could curb social media abuse, especially among minors. The panel, headed by Lokesh, also includes health minister Satyakumar Yadav.

The GoM, Anitha said, would analyse models followed by other states and countries before proposing what could be the “best possible framework” for Andhra Pradesh. The findings would also be shared with the Centre.

The home minister cited Australia’s recent legislation that sets 16 as the minimum age for social media use, and places responsibility on platforms to enforce compliance.

“Whether it is a ban or a restriction, controlling social media abuse is the main task,” the minister said, pointing out that platforms often rely on self-declared age details without proper verification.