Parents’ groups seek social media ban on children below 16

Bhubaneswar: With Karnataka considering a ban on social media for children below 16 years of age, and Andhra Pradesh and Goa thinking along similar lines, a section of parents back in the state has demanded a similar restriction owing to increasing dependency of students on gadgets.

Many feel such a ban is long overdue. Head of national parents federation, Bhumohan Bebarta Pattnaik, said that with many schools still resorting to online classes, students need access to mobile phones round the clock. “While not using phones for academic purposes, children are automatically drawn towards social media and gaming apps, which results in endless scrolling and often anxiety,” he said. The members of the federation plan to submit a proposal to the school and mass education department on a similar ban in the state soon.


A member of Odisha Abhibhabak Mahasangha, Suryasmita Panda, agreed. “We were in talks with the school and mass education department in the past regarding regulated usage of social media among children. This has now become a necessity because children, through social media, are exposed to several experiences, which they are not mentally prepared for,” she said.

In the last one year, at least three suicides among children have been reported in the state over restrictions imposed on their phone usage by either their parents or teachers. The last case was reported in Aug last year in Balasore district, where a 13-year-old boy allegedly ended his life after his father stopped him from playing online games.

However, some parents cautioned against a total ban. A mother of two teenagers, Suman Mishra, felt a total ban on social media would serve no purpose unless children are made to understand the pros and cons of it. While dependency on gadgets is an accepted factor in today’s education system, she said there should be guidelines to check gadget and social media addiction among children. “No parent today has the time to keep a 24x7 watch on their child. So, creating awareness among them is necessary,” she said.

Last month, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at the AI Summit that the Centre was discussing age restrictions for several social media apps.
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