IT ministry to examine all views and take a call: Secy on age bar for social media access

The Economic Survey has made several suggestions on age-based access to online platforms, and the government will examine all the opinions and take a call on the issue, IT Secretary S Krishnan said on Thursday.

Last week, the Economic Survey had said age-based access to online platforms should be considered while also cutting down online teaching to avoid digital addiction.

The Survey, tabled in Parliament, had said online platforms should be made responsible for enforcing age verification, and simpler devices should be promoted for children to access educational content with safeguards to address the rising problem of digital addiction.


It is pertinent to mention that the Ghaziabad triple suicide, where three minor sisters allegedly jumped to their deaths from a ninth-floor flat, has triggered an alarm over online gaming addiction and the Korean culture craze.

"You have seen what the Economic Survey has to say. A number of views are being expressed. We will examine all the views and take a call," Krishnan told reporters on the sidelines of a conference of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

The secretary was replying to a specific question on whether the Indian government is considering an Australian-like measure to block children's access to the internet.

The Economic Survey also suggested that schools should play a critical role in shaping the digital habits of children and promoting simpler devices for kids to access educational content to prevent their exposure to harmful content online.

"Policies on age-based access limits may be considered, as younger users are more vulnerable to compulsive use and harmful content. Platforms should be made responsible for enforcing age verification and age-appropriate defaults, particularly for social media, gambling apps, auto-play features, and targeted advertising," the survey said.

During a media interaction after the release of the survey, Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran said he has heard that the Andhra Pradesh and Goa governments are mulling ideas to come up with a policy on age-based access to online platforms.

"But as I said, some of these things need not necessarily be only at the policy level. These are aspects to be dealt with by civil societies, educational institutions, parents themselves, and policy can help," he had said.

The survey had identified digital addiction as a rising problem impacting the mental health of youth and adults.

It called for educating families and encouraged them to promote screen-time limits, device-free hours, and shared offline activities.

The survey noted measures by various countries, including Australia, China, and South Korea, and called for several interventions, besides ongoing efforts of various government departments.