Economic Advisor: India Needs to Consider Age Limits for Access to Social Media
JAKARTA - India's top economic adviser has called on the country to consider imposing an age limit on accessing social media apps to address what he called "digital addiction", particularly among children and adolescents.
The call was made by India's Chief Economic Adviser, V. Anantha Nageswaran, in the government's annual economic survey released this week. He warned of the risks of children using social media in India, which is the largest user market for Meta and YouTube platforms.
The move, if adopted, would put India in line with a growing global trend. Australia in 2025 became the first country to impose a social media ban on children under the age of 16. Meanwhile, on January 26, the French National Assembly supported a bill that would ban children under the age of 15 from accessing social media. Other countries such as Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Spain, and Greece are also studying similar policies.
In the economic survey, Nageswaran also recommended that families play an active role by implementing screen time restrictions, digital device-free hours, and encouraging activities together outside the online world.
"Policies on age limits for access can be considered, as young users are more vulnerable to compulsive use and exposure to harmful content," Nageswaran wrote.
He added that social media platforms should be responsible for enforcing age verification and implementing initial settings that are appropriate for the user's age group.
The recommendations are not binding on the Indian government, but are often used as a reference in policy discussions under the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Previous economic survey recommendations have been recorded as encouraging tax reforms, easing Chinese investment rules, and strengthening digital infrastructure.
India is currently the second largest smartphone market in the world with around 750 million devices, and has more than one billion internet users. However, India has not set a minimum age limit for accessing social media.
Meta as the owner of Facebook, Alphabet as the parent company of YouTube, and the X platform did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the recommendations.
The survey also noted that cheap telecommunications data packages in recent years have driven a surge in the use of social media applications. More than half of young smartphone users report using digital platforms for educational purposes, while about 75 percent use them for social media.
"Digital addiction has a negative impact on academic performance and productivity at work due to distractions, lack of sleep, and decreased focus," added Nageswaran.
This recommendation comes amid increasing efforts by a number of state governments in India to limit screen time for children. The coastal state of Goa and the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh said they were studying Australia's regulatory framework as a reference for a possible similar ban.
"Trust in social media is starting to collapse," Andhra Pradesh Information Technology Minister Nara Lokesh wrote in a post on the X platform on January 29. "Children are falling into endless use, which affects their attention span and education."
However, a number of activists and technology experts believe age-based restrictions are not always effective, as children can circumvent them by using false identity documents to create accounts.
"Instead, the state should fund programs to build awareness among children and parents about healthy and safe digital media use protocols," said Meghna Bal, director of the Esya Centre research institute.
Meta previously said it supported legislation that strengthened parental controls, but warned that a total ban risked driving teenagers to more unsafe and unregulated sites.