Govt studying Australia’s online safety law amid concerns
PANAJI
The Goa government is weighing whether to prohibit children under 16 years of age from using social media, a move that would place the coastal State among the first in India to consider restrictions echoing new legislation in Australia.
Tourism and Information Technology Minister Rohan Khaunte said that officials had begun studying Australia’s Online Safety Amendment Act, which bars minors from maintaining accounts on platforms including Instagram, Facebook and X.
“Our department has already pulled out the relevant papers. We will talk to the Chief Minister (Pramod Sawant), and if possible, implement a similar ban,” he told the media in a recent statement.
The proposal comes amid growing unease over the role of social media in children’s lives, with several glued to the device scrolling through content, some of which is banned. The State, in the recent past, also witnessed cybercrime offences involving minors.
“Children are always on their mobiles, at the dining table, while watching television, even around family,” he said. The extent to which online platforms occupy personal space, he added, was creating pressure on young users. The government, he said, is thus examining whether State-level restrictions are legally viable under India’s information technology laws.
Goa’s deliberations follow similar signals from Andhra Pradesh, where the State’s information technology and education minister, Nara Lokesh, last week said that a group of senior ministers had been formed to review an Australia-style age limit. The panel will submit the report within a month.
Australia’s law requires age-restricted platforms to take reasonable steps to verify that users are at least 16, to deactivate accounts held by younger users and to prevent minors from circumventing the rules. It also includes safeguards to reverse incorrect removals. The policy has drawn international attention, with the UK’s health secretary in January stating that they were also considering a comparable measure.
