Two of the world’s most populous nations are joining a growing global movement to ban teenagers from social media services.
India’s Karnataka, home to technology hub Bengaluru, became the first state in the country to propose blocking the access of under-16s to such apps. Indonesia said it will prohibit kids from holding accounts on digital platforms deemed high-risk, including TikTok and Instagram.
Australia’s social media ban for youths in late 2025 sparked global conversations about the potential harms of such services to children, with governments across the globe now considering similar moves. French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke at last month’s India AI Impact Summit on the need for such regulations, welcomed Indonesia’s move in a post on X on Friday.
Bans in India and Indonesia, with youthful populations and rapidly expanding economies, would deal a blow to global online platforms’ long-term growth plans.
Karnataka’s surprise announcement provides a jump start to discussions on nationwide restrictions in the country of more than 1.4 billion people. The proposal was put forward on Friday during the state budget, though details on the implementation and enforcement are yet to be shared.
"Young kids are getting into social media without understanding the consequences,” said Rizwan Arshad, a member of the legislative assembly in the state of more than 70 million people. "We will work with members of society on how to implement the age restriction ban on social media.”
The state leader of the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, announced Friday that it is considering steps to restrict social media access for children below 13 years of age within the next 90 days, and discussing possible regulations for the 13-16 age group based on a wider consensus. The IT minister for populous Maharashtra state, home to the financial capital of Mumbai, has ordered a task force to recommend methods for addressing the potential harms.
India’s Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw earlier this year said the government was discussing "the right way forward,” while more state-level officials have also said they’re considering the benefits of limiting children’s access to social media.
In Indonesia, authorities said Friday they expect social media platforms to deactivate the accounts of under-16s from March 28, starting with YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox.
"The reason is clear: our children face real threats ranging from pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud and, most importantly, addiction,” Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said.
A spokesperson for Alphabet Inc, the owner of YouTube, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Meta Platforms Inc, ByteDance Ltd, Roblox Corp, Snap Inc, X Corp and Bigo Technology Pte also didn’t immediately respond.
Earlier this week, Indonesian officials made a surprise inspection of Meta’s offices in Jakarta, warning the company that its compliance with national regulations on online gambling, disinformation and others fell far short of expectations.
Instagram and Facebook each have more than 400 million users in India, more than any other country, according to DataReportal, which tracks global digital use. Snap’s Snapchat has more than 200 million users on its platform, making India its largest market by that metric, while X has more than 20 million users, the data show.
In a court hearing last month, Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg testified that it’s "very difficult” to enforce age limits on Instagram, while speaking on social media addiction. Tech companies have in the past pointed to longstanding safety features on their platforms designed to protect young people, adding that bans risk driving users to less legitimate services. – Bloomberg
