An ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced a proposal to ban children from using social media in India, as the country joins a growing global debate over the impact of online platforms on young people’s health and safety. India is the largest market for companies such as Meta and YouTube.

Lawmaker L.S.K. Devarayalu said children are becoming addicted to social media and argued that Indian users generate vast amounts of data for foreign platforms. He claimed this data is used to build advanced AI systems, while the economic and strategic benefits flow outside India. The proposal follows similar moves abroad. Australia recently became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, while France has backed a ban for those under 15. Britain, Denmark, and Greece are also examining age-based restrictions.

Technology companies including Meta, Alphabet, and X did not comment on the Indian proposal. Meta has previously said it supports parental oversight but warned that outright bans could push teenagers toward unsafe and unregulated platforms. India’s IT ministry also did not respond. India, which has about 750 million smartphones and around a billion internet users, currently has no minimum age requirement for social media access and is a major growth market for digital platforms.

Devarayalu’s 15-page Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill would prohibit anyone under 16 from creating or holding a social media account and require platforms to disable accounts found to violate the rule. He said responsibility for verifying users’ ages should rest entirely with the companies.

Although the bill is a private member’s proposal and not introduced by the government, such measures often spark parliamentary debate and can shape future policy. Devarayalu belongs to the Telugu Desam Party, which governs Andhra Pradesh and plays a key role in Modi’s coalition government.