Andhra Pradesh Plans Social Media Restrictions for Children

Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education, IT & Electronics Nara Lokesh has directed officials to develop a regulatory framework restricting children under 13 from accessing social media. During a Group of Ministers meeting in Amaravati, Lokesh emphasized the need for a graded, age-based content access system to protect children from harmful content and to ensure safer digital environments for teenagers aged 13 to 16.

The initiative is part of a broader legislative push led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Home Minister Vangalapudi Anita to combat hate campaigns, false information, and online abuse targeting women. To implement these restrictions while protecting privacy, the state is exploring secure age-verification mechanisms such as "age tokens" integrated with DigiLocker, drawing inspiration from standards in Singapore, Australia, and Denmark.

Representatives from major platforms including Meta, Google, Snapchat, Sharechat, Grok, and Josh have expressed a willingness to collaborate with the state. The government plans to launch awareness campaigns via schools and Self-Help Groups. Once the framework is finalized and public feedback is gathered, Andhra Pradesh intends to submit its recommendations to the Government of India to help shape potential national policy.