Karnataka Govt Announces Social Media Ban for Children Under 16

Bengaluru- The Congress-led Karnataka government has announced a ban on social media use for children below 16 years of age in the state. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made the announcement on Friday while presenting the state Budget for the 2026–27 financial year in the Legislative Assembly.

“To prevent the adverse impact of rising mobile phone usage among children, social media access will be prohibited for those under 16 years of age,” the Chief Minister said.

The measure is part of a broader set of initiatives introduced by the government in the education sector to enhance students’ well-being, improve the academic environment and support overall development.

Earlier, Karnataka Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa had indicated that the government was seriously considering restricting social media use among schoolchildren.

Addressing concerns related to student mental health, Siddaramaiah also announced that one qualified mental health counsellor would be appointed at each of the state’s 204 Block Resource Centres (BRCs).

The government further said it would implement strict measures to curb drug use in schools, colleges and universities through awareness campaigns, tighter regulations and the establishment of student support centres.

As part of the education reforms, the government will upgrade 184 Government Higher Primary Schools into High Schools and 50 High Schools into Pre-University Colleges, following an earlier announcement in the 2025–26 Budget. The initiative aims to improve access to higher education for students.

The process for obtaining and renewing recognition for private schools will also be simplified through an online application and documentation system.

To improve the quality of education infrastructure, the state plans to convert 800 institutions into Karnataka Public Schools. Of these, 500 will be developed with assistance from the Asian Development Bank, 200 through the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board, and 100 with support from the Karnataka Mining Environment Restoration Corporation.

The initiative will involve an estimated expenditure of Rs 3,900 crore over the next three years.

For infrastructure upgrades, the government has allocated Rs 565 crore for the construction of new classrooms and repair work in government primary schools, high schools and Pre-University colleges. Additionally, Rs 75 crore has been earmarked for building toilets and Rs 25 crore for purchasing school furniture.

An amount of Rs 125 crore will also be provided for the maintenance of government primary schools, high schools and Pre-University colleges. The funds will be directly transferred to School and College Development Committees.

To promote bilingual teaching in government primary schools, the state will launch an English language training programme for primary school teachers at a cost of Rs 24 crore.

In collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad, the state will introduce AI-based learning support for approximately 12.28 lakh students from Classes 8 to 12. The initiative will provide a personalised digital self-learning tutor and is expected to cost around Rs 5 crore.

The government also plans to fill 15,000 vacant teaching positions in schools and colleges during the 2026–27 academic year.

With inputs from IANS