AP plans legislation to bar school students from social media

The government of Andhra Pradesh is considering a legislation to bar school students from using social media. Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha said this in the state Legislative Assembly on Monday.

During discussion on the control of false propaganda on social media, she said a Cabinet sub-committee has been formed to suggest measures to regulate social media an counter false propaganda.

She stated that the sub-committee has met twice so far and discussed various issues at length.

The sub-committee reviewed the measures being implemented in states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Special attention has been paid to the measures that can be taken in the state and can prove effective.

The Home Minister stated that strict measures are being taken to control hateful and obscene posts on social media.

She revealed that 1,384 cases have been registered in the state so far with regard to such social media posts. A total of 1,067 people have been arrested and produced in court.

She said that the government has started steps to bring a new law to control false propaganda.

In September last year, a group of ministers was constituted to study the best practices and suggest modalities of the legislation to identify and make those who resort to false propaganda, accountable.

Last month, Minister for Information Technology and Electronics Nara Lokesh had also stated that the government will study legal frameworks for ‘age-appropriate access’ to social media.

Lokesh said the government would ensure social media becomes a safer space and reduce its damaging impact, especially for women and children.

“Trust in social media is breaking down. Children are slipping into relentless usage, affecting their attention spans and education. Women are facing non-stop online abuse. This cannot be ignored,” Lokesh had posted on ‘X’.

“The Andhra Pradesh Government has decided to act. In the meeting of the Group of Ministers on Social Media, we have ordered a study of legal frameworks for age-appropriate access. We have also invited major platforms like Meta, X, Google and Sharechat to the next GoM meeting, to examine global best practices. We will ensure social media becomes a safer space and reduce its damaging impact - especially for women and children,” he added.

The group of ministers is examining the possibility of restricting or banning access to certain social media platforms for children below 16 years.

On February 10, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had urged the Centre to consider age-based regulation of social media.

TDP Parliamentary Party leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu met Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw and submitted a memorandum, requesting for policy deliberation on age-based regulation of social media for children.

He requested that the Ministry consider constituting a dedicated committee or expert group to study age-based regulation of social media and recommend a comprehensive national policy.

The TDP MP informed the Central minister that the NDA Government in Andhra Pradesh is actively examining this issue and exploring a robust legal framework to protect children online.