Karnataka — home to Bengaluru, India’s Silicon Valley — proposes to ban social media use for children under 16 while neighbouring Andhra Pradesh plans to restrict access for children aged below 13.

A child rights expert, however, said such bans were difficult to enforce or monitor and suggested that self-regulation, based on awareness among children and their parents, works better.

Neither government has yet explained how it would enforce the regulations.

Andhra chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has said a road map to implement the measure, suggested by IT minister Nara Lokesh, is likely to be rolled out within the next 90 days. The state is also exploring regulations for those aged 13 to 16, with a decision to be taken after wider consultations.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah presented the proposal in the school education section of the budget. The state believes that increasing mobile phone use and screen time among students is affecting mental health and academic performance.

Addressing the proposed ban in Karnataka, N.V. Vasudeva Sharma, executive director of the Child Rights Trust in Bengaluru, told The Telegraph and posted on social media that the reality of the implementation of such “bans” was questionable.

He expressed concern that children and their parents might resort to dishonesty to maintain access.

“Does the government have a system to monitor this order? Can teachers play this role without any prejudice? The police? Can the district child protection units that are supposed to monitor such things manage this?” Sharma said.

He stressed the need to raise awareness about the “proper use of social media” and noted that “self-control is what is required”.

Sharma suggested that counselling and information camps be held to educate “parents, teachers, and children’s associations” about the appropriate use of the Internet and mobile devices.

Further, he said, the School Health and Wellness Programme should be properly managed and funded to impart essential life skills to children.

Karnataka had launched a campaign last month titled “Mobile bidi pustaka hidi (Put down your mobile and pick up a book)” to encourage children to read more.

Earlier this month, the UK government had launched a public consultation on whether to ban social media for under-16s. This global debate over a minimum age for social media use has been largely inspired by Australia’s decision last year to ban children from a range of platforms, including Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok.

Lokesh had told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January that Andhra was studying Australia’s under-16 law. He underlined the need for a strong legal enactment.

Naidu too has said that children should not suffer because of social media. Last month, his Telugu Desam Party, an NDA ally, asked the Union ministry of information and broadcasting to explore a legal framework to protect children online.

The party’s floor leader in the Lok Sabha, Lavu Krishna Devarayalu, submitted a letter to I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, arguing the country needed age-based regulation for children.

Lokesh took a tongue-in-cheek dig at Karnataka’s proposal, saying “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”.

He added that he was pleased to see Karnataka considering restrictions on social media for young users.