Parliamentary committee backs age restrictions for social media platforms

NEW DELHI: A parliamentary committee will recommend that the government explore introducing age limits on social media platforms, a suggestion that will spur demand for legislation to limit children’s access to social media platforms at a time when countries around the world are keen to limit children’s access to them. The committee urged the government to limit children’s exposure on social media, and although it did not specify any age group, its recommendations appeared to be aimed at them. There are growing calls in India, including from state governments, to ban minors under a certain age from using text messaging platforms. Parliamentary Committee on Communications and Information Technology, composed of bjp People aware of the development said Congress MP Nishikant Dubey has approved its report and is likely to table it in Parliament on Monday. It also urged the government to consider enacting comprehensive legislation to prevent the misuse of artificial intelligence, in line with strict and binding laws enacted by several countries. Working towards a comprehensive law to curb misuse of artificial intelligence, the panel cited instances of artificial intelligence being used for financial fraud and intimidation, in addition to deepfake audios and videos, in support of its recommendations, even as it acknowledged the government’s measures to curb such incidents and protect innocent people, especially women and children. At the committee meeting, members across party lines noted the growing dangers of cybercrime, which in many cases has taken away people’s life savings and made national headlines, and called for tough countermeasures. Currently, such cases fall under the provisions of the Comprehensive Penal Code, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Information Technology Act. The panel said: “The committee believes that artificial intelligence should be used ethically and responsibly. The committee heard that some countries around the world have enacted strict and binding laws to prevent the misuse of artificial intelligence. It urged the government to explore the possibility of comprehensive legislation to prevent the misuse of artificial intelligence and explore whether age restrictions on certain platforms could be an option to avoid people misusing artificial intelligence.” Official sources said the mention of certain platforms was in reference to social media and its adverse impact on children. While there is recognition of the problem within the government, it has so far been limited to expressing concerns and calling for consensus on how to address the challenge. Two Indian states, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, have taken a stance on banning the use of social media for children of certain age groups, but so far there is no national policy restricting the use of social media. Australia has become the first country to ban children under 16 from having social media accounts, sparking calls for similar policies in different countries, with some European countries currently developing legislation. The panel said effective use of artificial intelligence would help solve “human problems” and help ordinary people by integrating it into healthcare, education, agriculture, energy, industry and infrastructure. It urged the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to encourage specialized studies and courses in AI, besides popularizing AI from lower standard schools, universities, academic research and PhD students, and work towards setting up data centers and AI laboratories across the country.