BENGALURU: Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday sought the opinion of vice chancellors of the state on imposing a ban on social media and mobile phones for children under 16. The CM was interacting with VCs at the Karnataka State Higher Education Council. Citing examples of Australia and other Western countries that have taken similar policy decisions, Siddaramaiah asked the academicians for their views on a complete ban on mobile phones or social media for children. He said the overuse of gadgets was affecting the learning, behaviour, and mental health of children. While many of the VCs agreed with the proposal, some pointed out that several private schools, especially elite institutions, assign homework through mobile phones. The CM responded that he was more concerned about students in government schools and said they should not be misled. During the last Assembly session, IT Minister Priyanka Kharge had mentioned that the government was considering a ban on social media for minors.
