Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday sought the views of vice-chancellors on a proposal to ban mobile phones and social media access for children below 16 years. He raised the issue during an interaction with vice-chancellors at the Karnataka State Higher Education Council.
Addressing the gathering, Siddaramaiah said excessive use of gadgets was affecting children’s learning, behaviour and mental health. He pointed to developments in Australia and some European countries that have introduced similar measures. “Today we are discussing this, and as you are all the vice-chancellors here, I seek your opinion. Children are falling prey to drugs. Also, in line with various other countries, like Australia, there is a thought to ban mobile phones among students. I want your opinion on this. We are looking at this,” he said. He added that the proposal would apply to children below 16 and not adults.
While several vice-chancellors supported the idea, some flagged practical concerns, noting that many private and elite schools assign homework through mobile phones. The Chief Minister responded that he was particularly concerned about students in government schools and said they should not be misled. Officials said the state has sought formal feedback from academic heads to examine how such a restriction could be implemented, including enforcement mechanisms and possible exemptions for academic use.
The proposal comes amid rising concerns over social media addiction among teenagers, with the government stating that unrestricted smartphone access has contributed to poor academic focus, behavioural changes and mental health challenges, besides exposing children to harmful content and, in some cases, drug networks.
During the recent Assembly session, Karnataka’s Electronics and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge said the government was consulting stakeholders on steps to ensure responsible use of Artificial Intelligence and social media, particularly by children. Similar discussions are under way in other states. The Goa government is examining a proposal to bar children under 16 from accessing platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and X.
In Andhra Pradesh, the government has indicated it is considering stricter regulations to limit minors’ access to social media. Education Minister Nara Lokesh said concerns included online harassment of women and the impact of excessive screen time on children’s attention spans and academic performance. The state has constituted a Group of Ministers headed by him to review existing laws and has invited major technology firms, including Meta Platforms, X Corp., Google and ShareChat, to discuss global best practices and measures to make social media safer for women and children.