Explained : Indian teens roll their eyes at talk of a social media ban and Its Impact

Aarav Gupta, 15, a student in Delhi, was scrolling through Instagram when he saw a news alert about the government’s plans to consider age-based access to social media  platforms.

“How can this even be possible? All my friends plan everything on social media, from birthday parties to football games and even study sessions. This is unfeasible,” Gupta later told DW.

“Anyway, it is hard to implement without mandatory legal IDs for every login,” he added. “And if it happens, we can easily bypass bans using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) or fake birthdays.”

In Bhopal, 14-year-old Priya Khullar can’t imagine life without social media.

“I get most of my information here and keep up with trends in fashion and music. It’s hard to imagine a law banning platforms like Instagram and YouTube Shorts for anyone under 16,” Khullar told DW.

Khullar’s father isn’t sure what the right approach is.

“How do you enforce a complete ban? I don’t know which risk is worse, letting kids stay online or forcing them into digital isolation,” he told DW.

Global trend sparks debate in India

In December, Australia became the first country to ban people under 16  from using certain social media platforms. The government said the goal was to protect young people from harmful content and other risks.

Australia’s Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act requires age-restricted platforms to ensure users under 16 cannot hold accounts.

France’s National Assembly has backed a similar ban for children under 15, while the UK, Austria, Poland, Denmark and Greece are  studying the issue.

Inspired in part by Australia’s move and by guidance in the recent Economic Survey, an annual government assessment of India’s economic situation, several Indian states are now exploring bans for children under 16.

“Policies on age-based access limits may be considered, as younger users are more vulnerable to compulsive use and harmful content,” stated the survey. Andhra Pradesh and Goa are currently the most active, with ministerial panels reviewing how such a ban might work.

Worries about addiction and mental health

The Economic Survey’s recommendation is not legally binding but serves as a strong suggestion.

It highlights the risks of social media addiction, noting that access is no longer a barrier and that digital addiction can damage mental health. It also cited studies that show that social media addiction is strongly linked to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and cyberbullying stress among people aged 15–24.

This debate gained renewed urgency after three children in Ghaziabad city in northern India reportedly died by suicide last week. Investigators are looking into whether an online Korean drama played any role.

Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, an MP from the Telugu Desam Party which is in power in Andhra Pradesh state, has introduced a private member’s bill targeting social media use by children under 16.

“Social media companies must prevent minors from creating accounts and face strict penalties for non-compliance,” he told DW.

“Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube are now legally required in Australia to take steps to deactivate accounts for users under 16. We can do it here, too,” he added.

Ban would be an enforcement ‘challenge’

India is the world’s second-largest smartphone market after China, with around 660 million smartphone users and more than 950 million internet users.

The country has over 1.16 billion mobile connections, making it a major growth market for platforms like Instagram and YouTube. TikTok has been banned in India since 2020.

About one-fourth of India’s population is in the 0–14 age group, meaning hundreds of millions of potential underage users.

Experts say India’s size and diversity make an Australian-style law hard to implement.

“A ban can be enforced only on paper by asking platforms to block under-16 accounts. But in India, it will be weak in practice and risky for rights,” said Apar Gupta of the Internet Freedom Foundation.

Gupta says the real need is regulating addictive platform design, restricting child profiling, funding research and empowering an independent regulator.

“If it’s self-declared, kids will bypass it. If it’s ID-based, it raises privacy and surveillance concerns. If it’s done through schools or networks, it’s blunt and overbroad,” he said.

India also has a 43% VPN adoption rate, the second-highest in the world, making enforcement even tougher.

“Even with platform enforcement, teens will get around it using VPNs, shared adult accounts, or new apps with weak moderation,” he added. “That shifts harm rather than reducing it.”

Why a ban may backfire

Prateek Waghre from the Tech Global Institute says that state governments may not even have the authority to impose such bans, which likely fall under federal powers.

He also warned that enforcing such laws would require identifying every user, increasing risks for vulnerable communities.

“Social problems need broader solutions, not just restrictions aimed at platforms,” he said.

Regardless of whether India imposes a social media ban or which methods it would use to enforce it, teens who spoke to DW said that they were not worried.

“There are always ways to get around a ban if it comes to that,” Khullar, the 14-year-old from Bhopal, said confidently.

Edited by: Ole Tangen Jr