Even as Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh try to tackle the rising concern about digital addiction among children and its effects on their learning and mental health, the issue has sparked a new political rivalry. Both states recognize that the mental health of children is central to this problem, especially in an age dominated by smartphones and social media.
Karnataka Announces First-in-India Social Media Ban
The debate began when Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, during his record 17th State Budget for 2026, announced plans to ban social media use for children under 16.
Siddaramaiah said, “To prevent the harmful effects of increased mobile usage on children, we will ban social media for those below 16 years.” He expressed worry over what he sees as a troubling rise in digital dependency among kids, noting that excessive use of gadgets is impacting students’ behavior, attention spans, and mental health.
Control social media usage for under 16s
In response, on February 24, the Andhra Pradesh govt informed its Assembly that it was also exploring regulations to control social media use among school students. Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha mentioned that a Cabinet sub-committee formed to look into ways to regulate social media platforms, reduce false propaganda, and protect children from harmful online content.
She added that the committee had already met twice and was reviewing policies from other states, including Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. According to the Home Minister, Andhra Pradesh recorded 1,384 cases related to inappropriate social media posts, leading to the arrest of 1,067 individuals who were then brought before the courts.
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