Economic survey for age bar for social media access, cutting online classes

Taking cues for social media ban for children, the government's Economic Survey on Thursday said age-based access to online platforms should be considered while also cutting down online teaching to avoid digital addiction.

The Survey tabled in Parliament called for schools to play a critical role in shaping digital habits of children and promoting simpler devices for children for educational content access to prevent their exposure to harmful content online.

"Policies on age-based access limits may be considered, as younger users are more vulnerable to compulsive use and harmful content. Platforms should be made responsible for enforcing age verification and age-appropriate defaults, particularly for social media, gambling apps, auto-play features, and targeted advertising," the Survey said.

The Survey said online platforms should be made responsible for enforcing age verification and simpler devices should be promoted for children to access educational content with safeguards to address rising problem digital addiction.

"Schools play a critical role in shaping digital habits and should introduce a Digital Wellness Curriculum covering screentime literacy, cyber safety, and mental health awareness… Dependence on online teaching tools, which expanded during Covid-19, should be reduced in favour of offline engagement," it said.

The Economic Survey 2025-26 has identified digital addiction as a rising problem impacting mental health of youth and adults. The Survey has called for educating families and encouraged them to promote screen-time limits, device-free hours, and shared offline activities.

It has called for conducting parental workshops through schools and community centres to train guardians in setting healthy boundaries, recognising signs of addiction, and using parental control tools effectively.

"Promoting simpler devices for children, such as basic phones or education-only tablets, along with enforced usage limits and content filters, can further reduce exposure to harmful material, including violent, sexual, or gambling-related content," the Survey said.

It said network layer safeguards, such as internet service provider-level interventions, that can complement such measures by offering family data plans with differentiated quotas for educational versus recreational apps and default blocking of high-risk categories, with opt-in overrides available to guardians.

The Survey noted measures by various countries, including Australia, China, and South Korea, and called for several interventions, besides ongoing efforts of various government departments.

Taking cognisance of the rise in digital addiction, the Survey has called for comprehensive interventions to address the problem, which is adversely impacting academic performance, workplace productivity, and mental health of youth as well as adults.

It said research on digital addiction has shown distinct risks and mental health consequences among the youth. "Social media addiction is strongly associated with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and cyberbullying stress, with multiple Indian and global studies confirming its high prevalence among those aged 15-24," the Survey said.

It said compulsive scrolling and social comparison are particularly linked to anxiety and depressive symptoms.

The World Health Organisation has included Gaming Disorder as an International Classification of Diseases (ICD). WHO has defined "Gaming Disorder" as a pattern of gaming behaviour --"digital-gaming" or "video-gaming", characterised by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.

The Survey said "Gaming Disorder" shows evidence of causing sleep disruption, aggression, social withdrawal, and depression, with adolescent populations especially vulnerable. Online gambling and real money gaming present evidence of harm, including financial stress, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, the Survey said.

"Finally, streaming and short video compulsion carry evidence linking binge-watching and endless video loops to poor sleep hygiene, reduced concentration, and heightened stress. Together, these findings underscore the multifaceted nature of digital addiction and its significant impact on mental health," the Survey added.