What can parents do for their children?

India is a young nation, with over 600 million persons under the age of 25. The demographic dividend relies on empowering the youth to face key challenges, some virtual and some tangible.

- SRINIVAS MADHAV

First: social media, a praised democratizing tool and a parental curse. "Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children—isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," said California Governor Gavin Newsom, marking the passage of the Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act, which, from 2027, requires social media companies to offer minors chronological feeds instead of algorithmic feeds. State Senator Nancy Skinner, who authored the law, said, "Social media companies have designed their platforms to addict users, especially our kids."

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, remarked during his National Press Day address on November 16 that the algorithms driving digital platforms often prioritize content that maximizes engagement by amplifying sensational or divisive narratives. For example, Californian law mandates that any comments posted on a YouTube video should appear in chronological order, not as decided by the algorithm based on the aggressiveness of the comments.

On November 28, the Australian Parliament passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024, mandating social media platforms to implement measures to prevent children under 16 from accessing their platforms. Under the world's toughest law, to be implemented within one year, social media platforms could be fined up to $32 million for allowing access to children.

"We want our kids to have a childhood, and parents to know we have their backs," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters afterward.