An ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a bill to ban social media for children, as the world\u2019s biggest market for Meta and YouTube joins a global debate on the impact of social media on young people\u2019s health and safety. \u201cNot only are our children becoming addicted to social media, but India is also one of the world\u2019s largest producers of data for foreign platforms,\u201d lawmaker L.S.K. Devarayalu told Reuters on Friday. \u201cBased on this data, these companies are creating advanced AI systems, effectively turning Indian users into unpaid data providers, while the strategic and economic benefits are reaped elsewhere,\u201d he said. Australia last month became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access in a move welcomed by many parents and child advocates but criticised by major technology companies and free-speech advocates. France\u2019s National Assembly this week backed legislation to ban children under 15 from social media, while Britain, Denmark and Greece are studying the issue. Facebook operator Meta, YouTube-parent Alphabet, and X did not respond on Saturday to emails seeking comment on the Indian legislation. Meta has said it backs laws for parental oversight but that \u201cgovernments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites.\u201d India\u2019s IT ministry did not respond to a request for comment. India, the world\u2019s second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion internet users, is a key growth market for social media apps and does not set a minimum age for access. Devarayalu\u2019s 15-page Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill, which is not public but was seen by Reuters, says no one under 16 \u201cshall be permitted to create, maintain, or hold\u201d a social media account and those found to have one should have it disabled. \u201cWe are asking that the entire onus of ensuring users\u2019 age be placed on the social media platforms,\u201d Devarayalu said. The government\u2019s chief economic adviser attracted attention on Thursday by saying India should draft policies on age-based access limits to tackle \u201cdigital addiction\u201d. Devarayalu\u2019s legislation is a private member\u2019s bill – not proposed to parliament by a federal minister – but such bills often trigger debates in parliament and influence lawmaking. He is from the Telugu Desam Party, which governs the southern state of Andhra Pradesh and is vital to Modi\u2019s coalition government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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