Goa Joins India’s Debate on Banning Social Media for Children

India is emerging as a potential next test case for age-based restrictions on social media, as multiple states begin studying whether Australia’s under-16 ban could be adapted to the country’s vastly larger and younger digital population.

The debate has gathered momentum at the state level, with Goa and Andhra Pradesh examining whether children below 16 should be barred from accessing social media platforms. The move reflects growing political and judicial concern over online safety for minors, even as questions remain over enforcement, legality, and unintended consequences.

“Australia has brought in a law ensuring a ban on social media for children below the age of 16,” said Rohan Khaunte, Tourism and Information Technology Minister, Goa. “Our department people have already pulled out those particular papers. We are studying them and, if possible, [will] implement a similar ban on children below 16 for usage of social media.”

State-Led Push Gains Ground

Goa is not alone. Andhra Pradesh is also exploring an Australia-style approach. Earlier this month, Nara Lokesh, IT and Education Minister, Andhra Pradesh, said officials were studying the Australian law.

“I believe we need to create a strong legal enactment,” Lokesh said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

The Andhra Pradesh government has since constituted a group of ministers, chaired by Lokesh, to examine whether restrictions or a full ban on minors’ access to social media would be legally viable and practically enforceable.

Beyond state governments, the Madras High Court urged India’s federal government in December to consider similar restrictions, underscoring how concerns over children’s online safety are now shaping both judicial and legislative discussions.

Any move toward restricting minors’ access would carry significant implications for global technology companies. India has more than 1 billion internet users, according to government estimates, with a large share coming online at a young age.

For platforms such as Meta, Google, and X, India remains a core growth market for both users and advertising revenue, making age-based bans a high-stakes regulatory development.

A Meta spokesperson said the company shared lawmakers’ goal of creating “safe, positive online experiences for young people” but argued that parents, not governments, should decide which apps teenagers use.

“Governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites, or logged-out experiences that bypass important protections, like the default safeguards we offer in Instagram’s Teen Accounts,” the spokesperson said.

Lessons From Australia’s Experience

Australia’s under-16 ban, passed under the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, came into effect in December 2025. The law requires platforms to take “reasonable” steps to identify and deactivate accounts held by users under 16 while preventing new account creation.

Implementation has already exposed challenges. Meta last year began notifying Australian teenagers that their accounts would be shut down, highlighting the difficulty of accurately determining users’ ages when sign-up information may be inaccurate.

The law also revived concerns around digital age-verification systems, which often require sensitive personal data, raising privacy and security risks. Notably, the legislation exempted platforms such as Pinterest, Discord, GitHub, Roblox, and Steam.

Legal Limits of State Action

Legal experts caution that Indian states face structural limits in enforcing social media bans.

Kazim Rizvi, Founding Director, The Dialogue said internet governance falls under federal law, meaning states cannot independently amend national statutes such as the Information Technology Act or the Digital Personal Data Protection Act.

As a result, states like Andhra Pradesh may need support from the central government, an outcome that remains uncertain.

Aprajita Rana, Partner, AZB & Partners, warned that blanket bans could have unintended effects, potentially driving children away from regulated platforms toward unmonitored online spaces, undermining safety goals.

Existing Protections Already in Place

India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, passed in August 2023, already includes safeguards for children’s data. The law mandates verifiable parental consent for processing data of users under 18 and prohibits tracking, behavioural monitoring, and targeted advertising aimed at minors.

However, these provisions are being phased in through 2027, giving platforms time to comply, raising questions about whether additional restrictions are premature.

India is not alone in weighing Australia’s approach. Governments in Denmark, France, Spain, Indonesia, and Malaysia are also studying similar measures, reflecting a global reassessment of how children engage with social platforms.

For India, the challenge lies in balancing child safety, digital rights, platform accountability, and enforceability within one of the world’s largest and most complex internet markets.