India’s first state to restrict underage social media use
Dubela, Tanisha Das: Andhra Pradesh has become the first Indian state to draft a law restricting social media usage for children under 13 years of age. This has been officially announced by the state on 10 April 2026. The main aim is to create a safer and protected digital environment for children. DigiLocker is being explored to verify the age limit of the person using it.
Except Andhra Pradesh, no other state has an age-based social media law yet. As per India’s IT Rules 2021, a child under the age of 18 can’t access social media without their parents’ consent, but it is hardly seen to be followed or concerned about in India. But regardless, it is very hard to enforce the law because age verification will be a big factor to be noticed. Kids can use fake dates of birth and can use VPNs. In our country, it is many times seen that children under 18 are using their parents’ phones and getting access to things they should not.
In countries like Australia, social media use under the age of 16 is banned. In the UK, the Online Safety Act is enforceable. By putting this kind of law into work, we can give kids a better upbringing and very protected and safe social security. A group of ministers has been appointed to work on apps like Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat to enforce the under-13 age group restriction as soon as possible.
