Why bans won't work

Legal restrictions cannot realistically protect a generation that has been born into an always-online world

- Somak Ghoshal

If you are a parent wondering about how to reduce your child's screen time in the new year, you are not alone. Two judges of the Madurai bench of the Madras high court recently urged the Union government to consider imposing a law to restrict children from accessing the internet. Their idea is inspired by a recent legislation in Australia, which banned social media for under-16s.

Studies around the world show that children are exposed to inappropriate content online everyday, face cyberbullying, and are vulnerable to scammers and other abusers, which lead to mental health breakdowns, low self-esteem, body dysphoria and, in extreme cases, suicide ideation. In recent times, artificial intelligence agents have also abetted such harmful behaviours. Responding to a public interest litigation filed in 2018, the court suggested better awareness be created among parents and children about the dangers that lurk online.