Petition to the Government of India

India proudly speaks of its demographic dividend—our young population that will shape the nation's future. But are we doing enough to protect the years that matter most in a child's development?

Today, children and adolescents can access most social media platforms simply by self-declaring their age. In reality, many underage users gain unrestricted access to platforms specifically designed to capture and retain attention for long periods.

While concerns about cyberbullying, online safety, privacy, and mental health are important, this issue goes beyond those challenges. It is about the future quality of India's workforce and human capital.

The years of childhood and adolescence should primarily be dedicated to education, skill development, sports, creativity, social interaction, and character building. Excessive and premature exposure to social media often competes with these activities during the most formative stage of life.

India has successfully built world-class digital infrastructure and identity systems. It is therefore both feasible and reasonable to explore secure and privacy-conscious age-verification mechanisms for social media platforms operating in the country.

We are not asking for a ban on social media. We are asking for responsible, age-appropriate access supported by reliable verification systems that help ensure minimum age requirements are genuinely enforced.

We respectfully urge the Government of India to:

Introduce robust age-verification standards for social media platforms operating in India.

Explore Aadhaar-based or other government-approved digital identity verification mechanisms with appropriate privacy safeguards.

Ensure that minimum age requirements are effectively enforced across all major social media platforms.

Initiate a national discussion on the long-term impact of unrestricted social media access on children's development and India's future workforce.

Every hour saved from excessive screen engagement is an hour that can be invested in learning, creativity, physical activity, and personal growth.

If India is to fully realize the promise of its demographic dividend, we must ensure that the formative years of our children are protected and directed toward building knowledge, skills, discipline, and character.

Please sign this petition and support a healthier digital future for India's next generation.