Regulating internet is Centre’s domain, social media ban imposed by A.P., Karnataka may hit jurisdictional barrier

Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh announced a ban on social media use by children under 16 and below 13 respectively on Friday (March 6, 2026). While Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the move aims to safeguard children against the negative impact of social media, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said the State will introduce regulations within 90 days.

But the announcements may run into a well-recognised barrier as regulating the internet is the exclusive domain of the Union government.

“India’s digital and intermediary framework has largely been structured through Central law, including the IT Act and the IT Rules,” Garima Saxena, an analyst at the think tank The Dialogue, which works with tech firms.

Recently, the Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the government was discussing age-based restrictions on social media use but did not indicate about its implementation as yet.

A senior official said the government will observe how a such a ban imposed by a State works before responding.

Ms. Saxena said that while a State may still try to justify intervention “through concerns such as public order, public health, or child welfare”, the moment such a measure starts operating directly on digital intermediaries or access to online services, “it is likely to face questions of constitutional fit, overlap with central legislation, and practical enforceability.”

Last December, Australia became the first country to ban social media for children. However, the idea remains contentious since empirical evidence from the country may not be available at the scale required to justify its replication in other countries.

The Internet Freedom Foundation, a digital rights advocacy based in New Delhi, said in a statement that “blanket social media bans are a disproportionate response that can do more harm than good”, as they “often fail to address root causes such as platform design choices that maximise engagement over safety, inadequate data protection frameworks, and poor digital literacy infrastructure while restricting children’s right to information, expression, and participation.”

The idea is, however, very compelling. The announcement by the two Chief Ministers coincides with that by the Digital Minister of Indonesia Meutya Hafid. Ms. Hafid conducted a “spot check” at Meta’s offices in Jakarta earlier this week and accused the firm of being lax in complying with laws surrounding disinformation. On Friday, she announced a social media ban for those under 16.

It is unclear if social media firms will push back against a ban imposed by a State. A Meta spokesperson said the firm would “comply with social media bans where they are enforced” but said that similar protection should be required for other apps that children access, and that social media alone should not be targeted.