Australia last month became the first country to ban social media for children ​under 16, blocking access in a move welcomed by ‌many parents and child advocates but criticised by major technology companies and free-speech advocates. France’s National Assembly this week backed legislation ​to ban children under 15 from social media, while Britain, Denmark and Greece are studying the issue.

Facebook operator Meta, YouTube-parent Alphabet and X did not respond on Saturday to emails seeking comment on the Indian legislation. Meta has said it backs laws for parental oversight but that “governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites.”

India’s IT ministry did ‌not respond to a request for comment.

India, the world’s second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion internet users, is a ‌key growth market for social media apps and does not set a minimum age for access.

Devarayalu’s 15-page Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) ‌Bill, which is not public but was seen by Reuters, says no one under 16 “shall be permitted to create, maintain, or hold” a ‌social media account ‍and those ⁠found to have ​one should have them disabled.

“We are asking that the entire onus of ensuring users’ age be placed on the social ⁠media platforms,” Devarayalu said.

The government’s chief economic adviser ⁠attracted attention on Thursday by saying India should draft policies on age-based access limits to tackle “digital addiction”.

Devarayalu’s legislation is a private member’s bill – not proposed to parliament by a federal ‌minister – but such bills often trigger debates in parliament and influence lawmaking.

He is from the Telugu Desam Party, which governs ‌the southern state Andhra Pradesh and is vital to Modi’s coalition government.