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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16 and strict action will be taken to prevent drug abuse in schools, colleges and universities. Presenting the state budget for 2026-27, he assured that 15,000 vacant posts of teachers in schools and colleges will be filled next fiscal. "With the objective of preventing adverse effects of increasing mobile usage on children, usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16," he said. He announced that a grant of Rs 565 crore will be provided for the construction of new rooms and repair works in government primary, high schools, and Pre-University Colleges, Rs 75 crore for the construction of toilets and Rs 25 crore for the procurement of furniture in schools. A grant of Rs 125 crore will be made for the maintenance of government primary schools, high schools, and Pre-University Colleges. Stressing that schools, colleges and universities
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday asserted that digital platforms must take responsibility for the content they host, stressing that ensuring the online safety of children and citizens is their obligation. Addressing the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) Conclave here, Vaishnaw said platforms need to "wake up" and understand the importance of reinforcing trust in the institutions that human society has built over thousands of years. "Platforms must take responsibility for the content that is hosted by them. The online safety of children, the online safety of all citizens is the responsibility of the platforms," he said. The minister cautioned that non-adherence to these principles would make these platforms accountable, noting that the nature of the internet has changed now. He also underlined the need to regulate the use of AI-generated content, saying such material should not be generated without the consent of the person whose face, voice or personality is ...
For years, social media companies have disputed allegations that they harm children's mental health through deliberate design choices that addict kids to their platforms and fail to protect them from sexual predators and dangerous content. Now, these tech giants are getting a chance to make their case in courtrooms around the country, including before a jury for the first time. Some of the biggest players from Meta to TikTok are facing federal and state trials that seek to hold them responsible for harming children's mental health. The lawsuits have come from school districts, local, state and the federal government as well as thousands of families. Two trials are now underway in Los Angeles and in New Mexico, with more to come. The courtroom showdowns are the culmination of years of scrutiny of the platforms over child safety, and whether deliberate design choices make them addictive and serve up content that leads to depression, eating disorders or suicide. Experts see the reckon
Nepal's interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Thursday warned that failing to address youth discontent could trigger another rebellion. Speaking on the 76th Democracy Day celebrations at the Nepali Army Pavilion in Kathmandu, she said democracy must deliver results, protect citizens' rights and ensure accountability. Referring to the Gen Z-led protests in September last year that led to the ouster of K P Sharma Oli-led coalition government, Karki said, "That movement sought an end to corruption, nepotism and discrimination. It sought good governance and equitable justice." "The state must respond to this not only with generosity, but also with humility and a deep sense of duty," she added. She warned that failing to address youth discontent could trigger another rebellion. "No nation can progress by undermining the youth," Karki, who became interim prime minister on September 12 last year, said. "The youth have energy, aspiration for change and moral anger," she said, adding ..
Mark Zuckerberg and opposing lawyers dueled in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday, where the Meta CEO answered questions about young people's use of Instagram, his congressional testimony and internal advice he's received about being "authentic" and not "robotic." Zuckerberg's testimony is part of an unprecedented social media trial that questions whether Meta's platforms deliberately addict and harm children. Attorneys representing the plaintiff, a now 20-year-old woman identified by the initials KGM, claim her early use of social media addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta Platforms and Google's YouTube are the two remaining defendants in the case, which TikTok and Snap have settled. Beginning his questioning, the plaintiff's attorney Mark Lanier laid out three options of what people can do regarding vulnerable people: help them, ignore them, or "prey upon them and use them for our own ends." Zuckerberg said he agrees the last opti
Mark Zuckerberg will testify in an unprecedented social media trial that questions whether Meta's platforms deliberately addict and harm children. Meta's CEO is expected to answer tough questions on Wednesday from attorneys representing a now 20-year-old woman identified by the initials KGM, who claims her early use of social media addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta Platforms and Google's YouTube are the two remaining defendants in the case, which TikTok and Snap have settled. Zuckerberg has testified in other trials and answered questions from Congress about youth safety on Meta's platforms, and he apologised to families at that hearing whose lives had been upended by tragedies they believed were because of social media. This trial, though, marks the first time Zuckerberg will answer similar questions in front of a jury and, again, bereaved parents are expected to be in the limited courtroom seats available to the public. The cas