We Should Restrict Minors From Accessing Social Media: Karnataka HC

Karnataka HC is asking to set an age limit from accessing social media platforms. Should the country or central government follow this?

The Karnataka High Court suggested that the Central government should think about setting a minimum age for using social media, like 21 years old, to prevent children from using it.

They also recommended the possibility of banning social media for minors. The High Court raised concerns about how addictive social media can be for school-going kids.

It is being questioned whether they are mature enough to understand national interests, especially when the voting age is 21.

What is the major concern of Karnataka HC?

The Karnataka High Court made these suggestions because they were worried about the harmful impact of social media on children.

We can’t deny the fact that social media is so addictive and it affects minors’ understanding of important national issues.

The court was discussing a case where the government asked a social media platform (X/Twitter) to block certain content.

The court wanted to ensure that social media companies have clear rules and protections while also considering the age at which it’s safe for young people to use these platforms.

X Corp, formerly known as Twitter Inc., was recently fined ₹50 lakhs by the Karnataka High Court because the company has delayed in complying with the government’s requests to block specific content.

The single judge of the Karnataka High Court imposed this fine as a penalty for what they saw as a lack of prompt action by Twitter in adhering to the government’s instructions to block certain posts and accounts on their platform.

Should India Restrict Social Media Access?

Well, frankly speaking, the Karnataka High Court is not completely wrong; its concern is totally valid. We can’t ignore the negative impacts of social media on our younger generation.

Minors often used to get bullied, influenced by several wrong influencers, getting addicted to the platforms, getting distracted from their own life and career.

There are so much fake news that also exists on different platforms, and they also get influenced or misled by them.

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If we talk about the average generation of people below 18 or 21 years old, they are not mature enough to make all the wise decisions. They don’t have enough understanding to discern what to follow and what to ignore.

But it is also true that technology, including social media, has become deeply ingrained in our daily lives that we can’t eliminate it completely.

Many younger individuals use social media for freelancing or internships as a side hustle or for upskilling, and they make valuable contacts through these platforms.

There are many social media creators who teach about finances, communication skills, current affairs and a lot more topics that are often not covered in our school or college journeys. If we ban them from social media, they will also miss out on such valuable knowledge.

So, instead of banning minors from accessing social media, they should be educated about its correct usage in our schools and colleges. Technology is connecting the world, and it will depend on us how we use it!