BJP MP lists private Bill on social media ban for children
BJP MP Baijayant Panda has introduced a private member's bill in the Lok Sabha aimed at restricting social media access for children under 13. The proposed legislation mandates parental consent and tools for guardians to monitor online activity.
Why it matters
It reflects a growing global legislative trend toward regulating social media platforms to protect minors from algorithmic harm.
The debate over whether a social media ban for under 13- or 16-year-olds should be implemented or not, and amid the Union government’s standoff with Meta, an interesting intervention appeared in the Lok Sabha last week, with a private members’ Bill listed in that House by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Baijayant Panda, throwing a little light on what such a move could look like in its legislative form.
The ‘Safeguarding Healthy Internet Environments for Little Digital-Natives (Shield) Bill, 2025’ was listed on Friday (August 7, 2026) but could not be tabled as both Houses of Parliament adjourned early.
It is “now well established by multiple studies that many social media algorithms are not only designed to foster addiction but also to embellish and reinforce narrow and extreme viewpoints, rather than shed light on all angles of any issue,” Mr. Panda told The Hindu .
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