Biju Dharmapalan
bijudharmapalan@gmail.com
In a landmark policy move, Karnataka, India’s tech hub, has proposed banning social media access for children under the age of 16. The announcement, made by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during the state’s 2026-27 budget presentation, aims to shield young minds from the growing harm caused by excessive smartphone and social media use.
Though it may appear paradoxical, India’s most prominent tech hub is taking a lead role in the call to regulate social media. This decision comes from a growing global realisation that digital addiction is emerging as one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. For Generation Alpha, the first generation born entirely in the digital era, access to social media has become a behavioural dependency. This threatens their mental health, social development, and emotional stability, the perceived qualities put forth by their predecessors, the Gen Z and Millennials.
The New Addiction
For decades, societies have battled substance abuse involving alcohol, tobacco, and narcotics. But today, psychologists are more concerned about digital addiction, particularly social media addiction, which may be even more dangerous than the other forms. Unlike drugs, which are controlled and stigmatised, social media platforms are designed to be addictive by default. Their algorithms reward constant engagement and instant gratification, triggering dopamine-driven reward loops that keep users scrolling, liking, and posting for hours.
Children are particularly vulnerable to these mechanisms. Their brains are still developing, especially the regions responsible for impulse control and emotional regulation. When exposed to endless streams of notifications, short-form videos, and algorithmically tailored content, young users easily develop compulsive usage patterns.
The result is an alarming rise in what mental health professionals call “problematic social media use”, characterised by anxiety when offline, loss of concentration, sleep disturbances, and withdrawal from real-life interactions.
Several studies and clinical observations increasingly link excessive social media use with psychiatric disorders among adolescents. Anxiety disorders, depression, body-image issues, cyberbullying trauma, and attention deficits have all been associated with prolonged screen exposure.
Unlike previous generations, children today do not merely consume media-they live within it. Their social identity, friendships, and self-worth often become tied to digital validation. A child’s mood can fluctuate based on the number of likes received on a post or the popularity of a video. Such fragile digital validation systems create psychological vulnerability.
Moreover, constant exposure to curated and unrealistic portrayals of life can distort children’s understanding of reality. Social comparison, fear of missing out (FOMO), and online harassment can lead to chronic stress and emotional distress. In extreme cases, excessive online exposure has been linked to self-harm behaviour and suicidal ideation among adolescents in many parts of the world.
If substance abuse alters the chemistry of the body, social media addiction alters the architecture of the mind.
Why Karnataka’s Move Matters
Karnataka’s proposal reflects growing concerns among policymakers about the impact of unregulated digital consumption. The government explicitly stated that the restriction aims to prevent the “adverse effects of increasing mobile usage on children.” If implemented, Karnataka could become the first Indian state to impose such a restriction, signalling a shift in how governments approach digital well-being.
While Karnataka’s proposal is a welcome step, it should be the beginning of a broader conversation rather than the final solution. Schools must incorporate digital literacy and mental health education into curricula. Parents need awareness about screen-time management. Technology companies must design platforms that prioritise well-being over engagement metrics. Most importantly, society must recognise that digital well-being is as important as physical health. Regulation alone cannot solve digital addiction; it must be complemented by education, parental guidance, and responsible platform design by the IT giants.
The real challenge of the 21st century may not be building smarter machines but ensuring that human minds remain healthy in a world dominated by digital platforms.
(The author is the Dean-Academic Affairs, Garden City University, Bengaluru and an adjunct faculty at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore)
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