New Delhi, March 26 Children's exposure to social media is a major 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 judgment 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 is a very significant concern. Parents across the country and around the world have been feeling this pressure. Yesterday, there was a major judgment in the US where the social media platforms have been told that their addictive algorithms are really harming children's growth and their mental well-being. It is a major problem that every society is struggling with," Vaishnaw said at the Times Now Summit.
He was responding to a question on his views on conversations in many countries about banning social media for children under 16 years.
"Wherever I have interacted with counterparts around the world, whether it's a country with high regulation or whether it's a country that is completely liberal, every digital technology-related minister has been sharing the concern that it is a very big issue for their societies, and likewise for our society. It is a major concern. We are constantly in dialogue with the social media platforms," Vaishnaw said.
French President Emmanuel Macron during the IndiaAI Impact Summit held last month had said that India would 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 the time has come for us to come together and build consensus. And I would also request you, as a media house, to help us in building that consensus and finding the right balance between freedom of speech, the debate on innovation, and the point where the correct level of regulation should be made," Vaishnaw said.
