Idea is not to ban social media but regulate it for teens: Priyank Kharge

Karnataka minister says proposal is aimed more at regulating what kids are exposed to, and calls for collective effort to keep children from harm's way.

- Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s minister for electronics, information technology & biotechnology, as well as for rural development & panchayat raj, says the recent proposal by the state government to ban usage of social media for children below 16 is aimed more at regulating what kids are exposed to in the world of web. In a telephonic interaction with Avik Das, he also talks about the challenges to regulate the sector and says that it should be a collective effort from all to keep children from harm's way. Edited excerpts:

What is your opinion on your government’s decision to ban usage of social media for children below 16?

The idea is not to ban social media but mitigate it for teenagers and regulate it. The issue is that they are having too much screen time and we're getting a lot of complaints on attention deficiency. I think every parent is worried about their child's screen time, whether it's on social media, gaming apps, or television. In addition, children are exposed to the darker side of social media, which has led to exploitation. People don’t come out with it because of the social stigma or shame attached to it.

I think ban would be a very harsh word. And it’s very difficult to ban these things because, first, if we ban them on regulated platforms, people go to unregulated sites, which is even more dangerous. For example, when it comes to gaming, the Centre may have banned it but people have not stopped gaming. They are still betting, but it's happening on Chinese and East European servers, where even if you get caught there's nothing we can do.