Lokesh directs drafting of legislation to keep children below 13 away from social media

Vijayawada: IT and education minister Nara Lokesh on Thursday directed officials to begin the process of drafting legislation and guidelines to keep children below the age of 13 away from social media platforms. Stating that it is mandatory to protect and nurture creativity in children, Lokesh asked officials to draft the law after studying national and international best practices.Chairing a ministers' committee meeting at his Undavalli residence, Lokesh said policies must also be framed to ensure age-appropriate content for children aged between 13 and 16 years to prevent exposure to harmful material on digital platforms. He asked officials to examine legal mechanisms related to children's digital safety and well-being and study models followed in countries such as Australia, Singapore, and Denmark to keep minors away from sensitive content.Announcing that the govt will roll out large-scale awareness programmes across the state on the impact of social media on children, he said students would be sensitised during ‘no bag days' in schools, while parents and children would be educated on the ill-effects of social media during mega parent-teacher meetings conducted twice every year. Awareness programmes on women's safety would also be organised for self-help group members.He further directed officials to examine the feasibility of using DigiLocker-linked age tokens for age verification on digital platforms. Public opinion would be sought and a report will be submitted on issues that fall within the scope of central legislation, he said, while warning of strict action against those posting offensive or hate-filled content, particularly content targeting women, on social media. Lokesh also instructed officials to initiate steps for the immediate appointment of an adjudicating officer under Section 46 of the Information Technology Act, which deals with contraventions leading to civil penalties and compensation.Ministers Vangalapudi Anitha, Nadendla Manohar, and Satya Kumar Yadav, along with senior officials, including GAD principal secretary Shyamala Rao, I&PR director KS Viswanathan, cybercrime officials and representatives of Meta, YouTube, X, ShareChat and Josh attended the meeting.