In a historic move aimed at curbing the adverse effects of increasing screen time, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh on Friday became the first two Indian states to ban the use of social media for children in different age groups.The Karnataka Government announced a ban on the use of social media by children below 16 years. Presenting the Budget 2026-27 in the state Assembly, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said: “With the objective of preventing adverse effects of increasing use of mobile phones on children, social media will be banned for children under the age of 16.”Later, talking to the media, he said children below 16 years could keep a mobile phone, but they could not use social media. “We will ban social media for them,” he said.Responding to queries on how the use will be regulated in schools, colleges or at home, Siddaramaiah said, “We will formulate a programme for that. Once the programme is finalised, we will inform you.”In January, Karnataka Electronics Minister Priyank Kharge had informed the Assembly that the state was holding consultations on measures to ensure the responsible use of artificial intelligence and social media, especially among children.Following suit, the Andhra Pradesh Government said social media would be prohibited for children below 13 years of age. Speaking in the state Assembly, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the social media restrictions would be in place for children under 13 in the state in the next 90 days. He added the government was deliberating whether the ban should be extended for teenagers between 13 and 16 years.Referring to a proposal suggested by IT Minister Nara Lokesh, the Chief Minister said his government was committed to ensuring that children were not negatively affected by social media, and assured that steps would be taken to protect their well-being.The Central Government’s Economic Survey tabled in Parliament in January this year said age-based access to online platforms should be considered while also cutting down online teaching to avoid digital addiction.BJP Rajya Sabha MP from the state Lahar Singh Siroya, however, welcomed the move in a social media post on ‘X’ saying he had raised this issue in Parliament.”Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi had also spoken about securing the interest of our younger generations at the AI summit, recently. I had further asked for restrictions on smartphone use among children in my parliament speech. I hope this too will be looked into seriously,” he said.Australia and Indonesia have effected similar bans, amid a global debate over the need to safeguard children from the addiction to social media.