A.P. govt. mulling ban social media for children below 16 years: Lokesh

Andhra Pradesh IT & HRD Minister Nara Lokesh has said that the State government is contemplating imposing a ban on access to social media for children below 16 years, like in Australia, to protect them from its harmful impact. 

During an interaction with Bloomberg in Davos on Wednesday, Mr. Lokesh revealed the State government’s intention to wean the children away from social media, noting that youngsters below a certain age should not be on such platforms as they do not fully understand the content they are exposed to and that a strong legal framework was required to curb the menace. 

Welcoming the move, TDP national spokesperson G. Deepak Reddy said Mr. Lokesh has rightly highlighted the serious concern surrounding the impact of social media on the mental health and safety of children. 

“Children below a certain age are not emotionally mature enough to comprehend the harmful content available online. That is why the Andhra Pradesh government is studying the global best practices and examining Australia’s under-16 social media law,” he said. 

He further added that during the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) regime, social media was blatantly misused to launch brutal and derogatory attacks against women. 

The initiative is aimed at shielding children from the toxic content and online negativity, Mr. Deepak Reddy added.