As children are increasingly preferring typing over writing, and audiobooks over paperbacks, a survey report on Indian teenagers released by venture capital firm Rukam Capital in partnership with market research firm YouGov this month, showed that nearly 73.5% of all Indian children aged 9 to 16 have their own smartphones and access to internet.
About 60.3% own personal computers. Generation Alpha, referring to the children born after 2010, is the first to be fully immersed in digital ecosystems from birth, or at least at a far earlier age than other generations before them.
A consumption report from Rukam Capital showed that digital engagement among younger users in India is accelerating across niches, with content, gaming, and commerce increasingly merging into a single mobile-first experience. Children these days risk the ‘fear of missing out’, if they don’t remain connected online. Smartphones sit at the centre of this ecosystem. Social media, gaming, video streaming, and messaging apps are not separate activities but interconnected parts of daily life now.
Smartphone usage and internet access are undoubtedly growing amongst children at an alarming rate across the world. The fallout of this phenomenon is also evident in the number of countries and states considering or imposing bans on phones and social media. According to a survey done by Pew Research Centre, most children aged 11 and 12 years in the USA own smartphones.
The Pew report also found that about 85% more children aged under 2 are privy to screens and watch content on YouTube, even when they do not use or possess phones of their own. According to market research company eMarketer, this generation is ‘digitally native,’ with children engaging with online platforms at increasingly younger ages.
The World Happiness Report (WHR) for this year found several links between use of social media amongst children, and the mental health impacts as a result of it. Passive use of smartphones and internet access can have severe impacts on a child’s behaviour and psychology.
A research published in the journal Pediatrics showed that children who receive their first smart phones before the age of 12, are at a higher risk of developing depression, obesity, and experiencing sleep disturbances.
As per the Rukam Capital report, Indian parents are conscious of this problem. It appears that parents are also practicing greater vigilance over the content their children are consuming — 54% of parents always monitor their child’s online activity, with 29.6% saying that they do so often.
Global Policy Pivot
In December of 2025, Australia became the first country in the world to recognise this issue at a policy level and implement a social media ban, applicable for children under 16 years. Social media platforms stand to face a fine of up to AUD 50 million, if they fail to comply in adequately preventing access for users under 16.
Following Australia, France is also in the process of creating legislation to block social media for children under 15 years. More recently, South Korean authorities are also considering this step. A recent survey in South Korea found that nearly half of upper-grade elementary school (ages 8 to 11 years) students use smartphones for more than two hours a day after school. Policy makers in South Korea are also considering introducing devices with basic features, or ‘dumbphones’ with only calling, texting functions, to keep children from accessing the internet unsupervised.
As recently as last week, the UK also committed to either implementing a ban on children under 16 using social media, or imposing restrictions on children’s use. Consultations with lawmakers and experts are already underway, reportedly.
Here in India, Karnataka is the only state that has publicly announced their plans to ban or limit social media use for children below 16 years, “to combat addiction, protect mental health, and improve academic focus,” state government officials reportedly said.
These bans followed the unfortunate incident of a young American boy, which became widely shared as an example of the deadly risks of ChatGPT and AI in 2025. The 16-year-old boy had had lengthy interactions with ChatGPT discussing his intentions to end his life.
After the boy’s unfortunate death, his mother found nearly 70 pages of conversations between the young boy and ChatGPT, which she alleged had encouraged her son to take the drastic step. In March this year, two Indian college girls were found dead in a temple washroom in Surat. The police on investigation found that these girls too, like the aforementioned teenager, had asked ChatGPT for advice on the most efficient way to end their lives.
Algorithm Trap
The WHR of 2026 holds that algorithm-driven platforms tend to have more negative impact on children’s wellbeing, particularly when use is intensive. These systems are designed to hold attention, which in turn encourages prolonged usage, which can be difficult for young users to regulate independently. These habits can lead to patterns of dependence.
With such a large volume of preteen and teenaged children owning and constantly using smartphones, will state-level or Central government policies be put in place to protect our children, on, or will parental locks and supervision have to suffice?