No social media before 16: Why experts say India can't afford to wait

As conversations around education and wellbeing grow louder, one uncomfortable truth is becoming impossible to ignore: the digital world is no longer just a tool in children's lives, it is shaping them.
At the India Today Education Conclave 2026, a sobering question hung in the air:

Are our children using screens, or are screens using them? Speaking on the theme "Screens, Students and Sensibility: Rethinking Social Media in Education", Amit Sen, Director and Co-founder, Children First, Delhi, offered a deeply unsettling yet necessary look at how excessive screen exposure is shaping young minds, behaviours, and futures.

Drawing from clinical experience, global research, and lived realities of families, his message was clear: digital addiction is not a buzzword; it is a growing developmental and mental health crisis that educators, parents, policymakers, and children must confront together.

IS DIGITAL ADDICTION REALLY LIKE DRUG DEPENDENCE?

Highlighting the seriousness of the issue, Amit Sen said, "The scary bit is that the kind of changes you see in the brains of children addicted to screens are the same as those seen in drug dependence."

Studies from the UK, Japan, South Korea, and China reveal structural and neurochemical changes in the brains of children with excessive screen use. The same reward pathways, dopamine-driven systems involving the amygdala, are activated.

WHAT HAPPENS TO LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT?

"When we do cognitive testing, we see short attention spans, poor language development, weak impulse control, and difficulty managing time." Children who spend hours on screens at the cost of other experiences show developmental delays that go far beyond academics.

WHAT ARE THE WARNING SIGNS EDUCATORS SHOULD NOTICE?

"The activity predominates the child's mind. When will they get back home, open their laptop, sneak their phone, start playing?" he added. Markers of digital addiction mirror those of substance abuse:

• Constant preoccupation with screens
• Mood swings, anger, emotional outbursts
• Severe resistance when gadgets are removed
• In extreme cases, violence and self-harm

IS SCREEN TIME THE CAUSE OR PART OF A BIGGER CYCLE?

"It's never a linear cause-and-effect relationship. These issues are cyclical and co-exist," Amit Sen further added. Heavy screen use, emotional distress, cognitive difficulties, and mental health vulnerabilities feed into each other.

Some children are more susceptible, particularly adolescents, whose brains are wired for novelty and dopamine until well into their mid-twenties.

"Children with ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, anxiety, depression, or trauma gravitate towards digital spaces," he explained. Screens provide stimulation, escape, and control, especially when real-world experiences feel overwhelming or painful.

WHAT ROLE DO TECH COMPANIES PLAY IN THIS CRISIS?

“There is a multi-billion-dollar industry that does not care about children’s safety,” Amit said, pointing to the business model that underpins most social media and digital platforms.

These platforms are not neutral or passive tools; they are carefully engineered systems designed to capture, direct, and hold users’ attention for as long as possible. In the digital economy, attention is the primary currency; every extra minute spent scrolling, clicking, or watching generates data, advertising revenue, and commercial value.

As a result, platform design is driven less by users’ wellbeing and more by algorithms optimised to maximise engagement.

Features that encourage constant checking, emotional reactions, and prolonged use are not incidental but central to the business model, ensuring that sustained attention directly translates into profit.

SOCIAL MEDIA AGE RESTRICTIONS: POLICY AND PRACTICAL CHALLENGES

Australia has taken a bold step by proposing to restrict access to social media for children under the age of 16.

While this move is significant and worth close observation, the key challenge lies in implementation: how such a policy would be enforced, how compliance would be monitored, and what unintended consequences might arise.

Its success will depend entirely on careful, practical execution. At the same time, there is uncertainty about whether a similar approach could work in a country like India, given its vast diversity and the frequent gaps between political intent, policy formulation, and on-ground action.

However, India too needs to begin thinking seriously about age-appropriate digital safeguards, regulatory frameworks, and shared accountability between the state, technology companies, schools, parents, and young people themselves.

Even if a blanket ban may not be immediately feasible, the Australian example remains an important case to watch, and a prompt for India to start broader, more nuanced conversations on child safety in the digital space.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE IS NO DOWNTIME?

Children today rarely experience boredom, the quiet, unstructured space where imagination, reflection, and self-discovery naturally take root. With constant digital stimulation filling every pause, there is little room for the mind to wander, question, or create on its own.

Without these moments of mental rest, children struggle to develop independent judgment and the ability to make authentic choices. Over time, decision-making becomes externally driven, guided by algorithms, notifications, and instant rewards, rather than by curiosity, values, or inner motivation.

SO, WHO CAN ACTUALLY HELP?

“If we try to impose this from the top down, it won’t work; children will always find a way around it,” he added. Real change requires action at multiple levels, not just individual willpower. Accountability from tech companies is essential, particularly around design choices that prioritise engagement over well-being.

Strong policy and legal safeguards must follow, ensuring that children's rights and mental health are protected in digital spaces.

Schools can serve as central, stabilising forces by providing structure, shared values, and guidance in an otherwise fragmented digital culture, while parents and communities working together create consistency between home, school, and society.

Most importantly, children must be active participants in these conversations and solutions, not passive recipients of adult anxiety, so they develop agency, critical thinking, and confidence in navigating both online and offline worlds.

Further emphasising the point, Amit Sen said, "Who knows the digital space better, all of you together, or the kids you work with?"

Children are digital natives. Any approach that ignores their voices is destined to fail.

Rules rooted in adult hypocrisy, where adults scroll endlessly but label children as "addicted", destroy credibility.

WHAT CAN FAMILIES DO DIFFERENTLY?

"Don't just reduce screen time-expand life space," he said. Rather than focusing only on limits, this approach reframes the goal as creating richer, more engaging offline environments. Practical shifts include breaking screen use into clear categories: learning, connection, entertainment, and mindless scrolling, so not all screen time is treated the same.

It also means intentionally rebuilding offline spaces for play, boredom, creativity, and physical movement, where imagination and self-regulation can grow.

Addressing neurodivergence and mental health early helps children and adults better understand individual needs rather than label differences as problems, while thoughtful boundaries help model healthy behaviour across generations.

Finally, designing education around individual strengths and interests transforms learning from compliance-driven to curiosity-driven, making both digital and offline experiences more purposeful and humane.

CAN WE ADMIT WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS?

“We must have the humility to say we don’t know everything and commit to finding solutions together,” Amit said, stressing that meaningful change can only happen through shared responsibility and open dialogue.

Digital addiction is complex, layered, and deeply human. There are no instant fixes, no single villains, and no perfect rulebooks. What exists instead is a shared responsibility to listen, to collaborate, and to take small, honest steps forward.

Until we stop fighting this battle alone and start walking it together, we will remain trapped in the same anxious loop. But with trust, participation, and courage, there is still room to reclaim balance, childhood, and choice.