No More ‘Scroll Addiction’: Karnataka Government Drafts Policy to Regulate Student Smartphones

The Karnataka government officially moved to address “mobile addiction” on Monday, March 23, 2026, announcing the development of a comprehensive legal framework to regulate social media and smartphone usage for students under the age of 16.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa informed the Legislative Council that the state is coordinating with the IT Department to draft guidelines that protect minors from harmful content and the psychological toll of unrestricted digital access. This initiative follows a landmark proposal in the 2026-27 State Budget by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who envisioned Karnataka as the first Indian state to implement an Australia-style age-restriction on social media platforms to safeguard the mental health and academic focus of the youth.

The proposed law aims to move beyond simple school bans, which the Minister admitted have been largely ineffective in practice. Instead, the government is exploring a multi-stakeholder approach that includes mandatory age verification for social media accounts and potential technical collaborations with telecom providers to create “child-safe” data plans. Minister Bangarappa highlighted that while technology is essential for modern learning, the current “unnecessary and harmful” content landscape requires a strict regulatory shield. To ensure the policy is both practical and legally sound, a specialised committee has been tasked with consulting parents, child psychologists, and international experts before the bill is officially tabled in the next legislative session.

While the legal framework is being finalised, the state has already launched immediate measures to encourage a “Digital Detox.” This includes the distribution of free moral science booklets and the nationwide-pioneering campaign “Mobile Bidi, Pustaka Hidi” (Leave the Phone, Pick a Book), aimed at reviving reading habits. The Minister emphasised that the goal is not to eliminate technology but to impose “reasonable restrictions” that prevent students from falling into the trap of cyberbullying, sleep disruption, and social media obsession.