Amaravati, Feb 10 (IANS) The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has urged the Centre to consider age-based regulation of social media.

TDP Parliamentary Party leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu on Tuesday 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.

The MP recalled that he had introduced a Private Member’s Bill on Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety). The Bill proposes, inter alia, a minimum age threshold for social media access, mandatory age-verification mechanisms, and the permanent deletion of children’s personal data collected during verification, along with strong enforcement and penalties for non-compliance.

Krishna Devarayalu drew the attention of the Central minister to the growing and overwhelming concern regarding children’s safety on social media platforms.

“In India, nearly 90 per cent of children aged 14-16 have access to smartphones at home, and over 75 per cent actively use social media, largely for recreational consumption. Studies indicate that more than 60 per cent of minors have experienced online bullying, and nearly half are exposed to age-inappropriate or harmful content. Excessive social media use has been increasingly linked to rising anxiety, depression, and self-harm among adolescents, even as platforms continue to collect and monetise children’s data without adequate safeguards,” reads the memorandum.

“Recent tragic incidents in India further underscore the gravity of this challenge. Cases from Ghaziabad and Lucknow, where minors lost their lives following extreme digital addiction, cyberbullying, and online psychological distress, have triggered nationwide concern. The Economic Survey 2025-26 has also flagged rising digital addiction among youth, linking high-intensity social media use to serious mental health and behavioural risks,” wrote the TDP MP, who also enclosed news summaries and Economic Survey extracts.

The TDP leader mentioned that several countries have begun responding to this challenge through decisive legislative action. Australia has enacted a ban on social media access for children under 16, while Denmark, Malaysia, Norway, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand are actively considering or advancing similar age-based restrictions as part of broader online safety frameworks. This reflects an emerging global consensus that parental controls alone are insufficient and that responsibility must rest squarely with platforms, he said.

–IANS

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