Goa plans social media ban for children under 16, following Australia’s lead

IN a major development, the Goa government is currently considering the implementation of an order that would ban children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and X, according to a report by the Indian Express.

“Australia has brought in a law ensuring a ban on social media for children below the age of 16. Our (IT) department people have already pulled out those particular papers. We are studying them. We will talk to the chief minister, and if possible, implement a similar ban on children below 16 for usage of social media,” Goa Tourism and Information Technology Minister Rohan Khaunte said on Monday.

Goa government is ‘studying’ the possibility of implementing an Australia-like law banning social media for children under the age of 16, Goa Tourism and Information Technology (IT) Minister Rohan Khaunte said.

According to a report by the Indian Express, Khaunte further said, “Today, the children are always on their mobiles on social media, whether it is at the dining table or while watching television or around family. So, the personal space occupied by social media is so large, which is also putting a sort of complex in the children. Australia has done it and we need to look at the IT laws of the country. But at the same time, whether a state-wide ban is possible (or not), we are studying. And if it is possible, we would want to do it to ensure that things go well for the next generation.”

Earlier last week, Andhra Pradesh’s IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh said the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led government was considering an Australia-style law that would ban children under the age of 16 from using social media. He added that a Group of Ministers (GoM), chaired by him, has been constituted to examine the proposal.

Australia's Online Safety Amendment Act

Australia’s legislation, known as the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, requires age-restricted platforms to take “reasonable” measures to identify and deactivate accounts held by users under 16, prevent them from creating new accounts, and block any loopholes that could allow minors to bypass the restrictions.

The law also mandates safeguards to correct errors, ensuring that accounts are not unfairly removed if users are wrongly included or excluded under the rules.

A 2021 report revealed that over one-third of young Australians had faced online bullying within six months. Many teenagers, parents, and trusted adults believe that implementing the ban could help reduce cyberbullying, PTI reported.

Similarly, while teens may not be able to have accounts on these platforms, they may still be able to access content on many of them.

On YouTube, for example, under-16s can still watch public YouTube videos. They just can’t subscribe to channels, like videos or leave comments.

Earlier in January, the UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the country is considering a move similar to Australia’s: a social media ban for children under 16 amid increasing calls to safeguard younger, more vulnerable users online.

“I’m certainly in favour of action in this area,” Streeting told Sky News, pointing to his own concerns about the impact of social media on the well-being and cognitive development of children, Bloomberg reported.