Children’s social media exposure a “major concern”, says Ashwini Vaishnaw; calls for balanced regulation

New Delhi: Children's exposure to social media is a big concern and there is a need to find a balance between freedom of speech, innovation and regulation, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday. Citing a recent judgement by a US court holding social media firms responsible for addiction, the minister said that every society is struggling with issues related to children's exposure to online platforms.

"It's a very, very significant concern. Parents from across the country and across the world have been feeling that pressure. Yesterday, there was a major judgment in the US where the social media platforms have been told that their addictive algorithms are really hurting children's growth, their mental makeup. It's a major problem that every society is struggling with," Vaishnaw said at Times Now Summit.

He was replying to a question on his views on conversations in many countries around the social media ban for children below 16 years. "Wherever I have interacted with counterparts across the world, whether it's a country which has high regulation or whether it's a country which is absolutely liberal, everywhere, every digital technology-related minister has been sharing the concern that it's a big, big, big issue for their societies, likewise for our society also. It's a major concern. We are constantly in dialogue with the social media platforms," Vaishnaw said.

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French President Emmanuel Macron during the IndiaAI Impact Summit held last month had said that India will join the process started in his country to ban social media for children under 15 years. The Karnataka government earlier this month announced a ban on the use of social media for those under the age of 16 years, aimed at preventing its adverse effects on children. The Andhra Pradesh government has also announced a plan to ban social media for children below 13 years.

"We believe that time has come when we must come together, build that consensus. And I'll request you also to, as a media house, to help us in building that consensus and getting that right, find a balance between the freedom of speech, the innovation debate and the point where the correct level of regulation should be made," Vaishnaw said.