Published Apr 13, 2026 | 1:15 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 13, 2026 | 1:15 AM
Representational image. Credit: iStock
Synopsis: Karnataka’s Health Department, with NIMHANS and KSMHA, has drafted a digital use policy for students after banning social media for children under 16. It suggests Aadhaar-enabled sign-ups, child-specific phone plans, and restricted data use. Critics flagged the absence of tech industry consultation, raising concerns over feasibility and privacy. The draft is open for public feedback.
Karnataka Department of Health and Family Welfare recently circulated a draft policy on responsible digital use among students across the state, days after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a ban on social media for children under the age of 16.
The Department, however, did not consult its own IT Ministry, smartphone companies, social media platforms or any other representatives from the tech industry before drafting the document.
The policy was prepared by the Health Department, Karnataka State Mental Health Authority (KSMHA), in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS). The target group includes students from Classes 9-12, teachers and parents.
Among other suggestions, it proposed an “Aadhaar-enabled sign-up to ensure age, authenticity, and avoid fake or multiple accounts” under a section on monitoring and reporting. The proposal to ban social media coupled with Aadhaar-enabled sign-ups had invited criticism from internet rights groups and tech experts. It is still unclear how this authentication would work or who would oversee it.
While the Health Department in its policy draft stated that it held ‘multi-stakeholder’ consultative meetings to draft the policy and its rules, the list of participants from the meetings did not have any representation from the tech industry – who are one of the major stakeholders in the ongoing debate on restrictions to digital media. The policy has been circulated for opinions and suggestions from the public.
The Health Department led two consultative meetings in October 2025 which had a combined total of 119 participants.
On 16 October 2025, at least 45 experts attended the meeting, who were majorly from the Health Department, NIMHANS, and the Education Department. The second meeting on 31 October 2025, was attended mainly by teachers and parents.
However, the exhaustive list of participants does not include any representation from the technology industry – one of the key stakeholders, particularly if the government intends to move forward with Aadhaar-enabled sign-ups.
Sources within the Department told South First that engagement with these stakeholders would be more relevant at the stage of implementing regulations or a ban. They added that the current draft is focused on strengthening safeguards through the involvement of parents, teachers, and students.
However, a closer look at the policy shows that it proposes several measures that require engagement with stakeholders from the tech industry as well.
Under a section titled ‘Formation of a Digital Safety & Wellness Committee’, the policy recommends “collaboration with digital technology and media industries for ethical content development, and a certified age limit for digital media use.” Additionally, it also proposes “developing age-appropriate phones/devices for children and OS update for device as they grow older”.
It also proposes implementing Aadhaar-enabled sign-up to ensure age, authenticity, and avoid fake or multiple accounts, a move that had raised alarm bells amongst internet rights groups and experts about the implications of such a policy. The main concern is that it could force all users, regardless of age, to link their Aadhaar to social media accounts.
Additionally, the policy suggested framing a special “child plan” for phones with audio-only, and stopping data use by 7 pm.
In Andhra Pradesh, Education, IT and Electronics Minister Nara Lokesh recently directed officials to draft a comprehensive regulatory framework to restrict social media access for children below 13 years.
Like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh too is exploring secure age-verification systems, but with the use of “age tokens” integrated with DigiLocker. The measures were discussed during a meeting chaired by Lokesh, where representatives from major platforms such as Meta, YouTube, and X were also present.
Goa too was considering forming a policy implementing curbs on use of social media by those under the age of 16. State IT minister Rohan Khaunte said that the department constituted a committee to study the impact of social media platforms on minors and what possible regulatory safeguards can be put in place. Khaunte chaired the first meeting of the committee that also saw representation from industry, academia and the IT department.
In fact, the Central government has held at least three consultations with social media platforms and other stakeholders to assess the technical capabilities of online intermediaries in restricting access to users from specific age brackets.
