Andhra Pradesh mulls tough social media regulations for children

The Andhra Pradesh government is considering strict regulations to limit social media access for children, Education Minister Nara Lokesh announced. The move aims to combat online harassment of women and children's addiction to social media.

The Andhra Pradesh government is mulling introducing tough regulations to restrict social media reach to children of a specified age, Education Minister Nara Lokesh said on Thursday.

Addressing Online Harms

Minister Lokesh highlighted the serious issue of online harassment and abuse faced by women. "Trust in social media is breaking down. Children are slipping into relentless usage, affecting their attention spans and education. Women are facing non-stop online abuse. This cannot be ignored. The Andhra Pradesh Government has decided to act. In the meeting of the Group of Ministers on Social Media, we have ordered a study of legal frameworks for age-appropriate access," Nara Lokesh said in a post on X Trust in social media is breaking down. Children are slipping into relentless usage, affecting their attention spans and education. Women are facing non-stop online abuse. This cannot be ignored. The Andhra Pradesh Government has decided to act. In the meeting of the Group of… pic.twitter.com/3D0hvkWTke — Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) January 29, 2026

Engaging with Tech Giants

The Minister further said that they have invited social media intermediaries to the next Group of Ministers meeting to study the "global best practices". "We have also invited major platforms like Meta, X, Google and Sharechat to the next GOM meeting, to examine global best practices. We will ensure social media becomes a safer space and reduce its damaging impact - especially for women and children," Lokesh added in his post.

Formulating Policy Based on Global Practices

Minister Nara Lokesh participated in the meeting of the Group of Ministers held at the Secretariat on "strengthening accountability in social media."

సోషల్ మీడియా జవాబుదారీతనాన్ని బలోపేతం చేయడంపై సచివాలయంలో జరిగిన మంత్రుల బృందం సమావేశంలో పాల్గొన్నాను. మైనర్లను (నిర్ణీత వయస్సు) సోషల్ మీడియాకు దూరంగా ఉంచే విషయమై విధివిధానాలను రూపొందించాలని అధికారులను ఆదేశించాను. చిన్నారులపై సోషల్ మీడియా నిషేధం విధించే అంశంపై సింగపూర్,… pic.twitter.com/hYgD4gzec4 — Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) January 28, 2026

"I have instructed the officials to formulate policies and regulations to keep minors (of specified age) away from social media. I have directed them to study the policies being followed in Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, and France regarding the imposition of a social media ban on children, and to take strict action against habitual offenders who repeatedly post fake content on social media," the minister said on X.

In December, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that the social media ban for children under the age of 16 is now in place in Australia, making it the first country in the world to "give it a crack". (ANI)

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