Social Media

SC to hear Centre's plea against HC order striking down IT rules

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to examine the Centre's plea challenging a Bombay High Court verdict that struck down amendments to Information Technology Rules aimed at regulating fake and false content posted on social media against the government. The top court did not stay the 2024 High Court verdict, which struck down the amended Information Technology Rules and termed them "unconstitutional", even as a three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to the original petitioners, including stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India, and the Association of Indian Magazines. The High Court struck down the rules amended in 2023 to empower the central government to establish a Fact-Check Unit (FCU) to identify "fake, false, or misleading" information regarding "government business" on social media. If the FCU flagged content under those rules, social media intermediaries such as X, Facebook, or ...

Idea is not to ban social media but regulate it for teens: Priyank Kharge

Priyank Kharge says the move targets excessive screen time and online risks for children, stressing stakeholder consultations and age-verification challenges before framing guidelines

Maharashtra to form DGP-led panel to curb social media defamation: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said a committee headed by the Director General of Police (DGP) would be formed to curb attempts to defame individuals through social media. The CM made the statement in the legislative assembly while replying to a question on cybercrimes. The committee headed by the state DGP will study the issue and suggest measures to take action in cases where individuals are defamed through social media platforms, Fadnavis said. Earlier, Minister of State for Home, Yogesh Kadam, informed the House that new methods of cybercrimes were emerging with the use of advanced technologies. The government has developed a special mobile application to create awareness among people and help them remain alert about such crimes, he said. Through the app, around 21 crore awareness messages will be sent to citizens every month to educate them about cybercrime and preventive measures, Kadam added. The issue was raised in the House by Prashant Thakur (BJ

Karnataka's plan to ban social media for teens needs review: MeitY secy

MeitY Secretary S Krishnan says social media and online gaming fall under the Centre's jurisdiction as it examines state proposals to ban teen access; consultations on DPDP Act compliance window conti

Musk's spam concern was 'confusing': Ex-Twitter executives tell court

Two days of testimony from Agrawal and Segal pushed back on Musk's own recollection that he was always committed to the deal, but believed that Twitter had lied to him about per cent of spam accounts

Karnataka Budget 2026: Social media ban, education boost, and more

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah presented the state Budget with a focus on school infrastructure boost, women welfare schemes, and a ₹2,000 crore electric bus programme

Andhra govt to ban social media for children under 13, says CM Naidu

Following a similar announcement by the Karnataka government, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said social media will be prohibited for children below 13 years of age within the next 90 days. Addressing the Assembly, the Chief Minister said they are actively debating whether to extend this ban to children between 13 and 16 years of age. "Definitely, we will make sure that within 90 days those below 13 years of age are not able to use social media," said Naidu. The CM said his government will take a call on banning social media for teenagers between 13 and 16 years.

Karnataka social media ban: Meta says it should cover all apps teens use

Karnataka proposes banning social media for children below 16 in its 2026-27 budget; Meta says restrictions should apply uniformly across apps

Siddaramaiah announces social media ban for kids below 16 yrs in Karnataka

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

StatsGuru: Scroll steals childhood as screen-time concerns intensify

As India debates age limits on social media amid rising child screen time and cybercrime, global precedents and domestic data are pushing policymakers toward tighter regulation

Social media platforms must take responsibility for content: Vaishnaw

Vaishnaw said platforms must ensure user safety, curb deepfakes and share revenue fairly with content creators, as the government pushes stronger rules and faster takedown timelines

Sebi orders regulated entities to disclose identity on social media posts

Sebi has directed all regulated entities to display their registered name and registration number on social media content related to the securities market to help investors identify authorised sources

PM Modi becomes most followed leader on Instagram with 100 mn followers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has crossed the massive milestone of 100 million followers on Instagram, making him the first world leader and politician to achieve this feat on the platform, officials said on Thursday. Prime Minister Modi joined Instagram in 2014, and over the past decade, his account has evolved into one of the most engaging digital spaces among global leaders, officials said. Among major global leaders, Modi now has the highest number of Instagram followers. He has more than twice as many followers as US President Donald Trump on the social media platform. The combined follower count of the next five major world leaders is still lower than Modi's individual total, officials said. US President Donald Trump holds the second spot with 43.2 million followers. He is followed by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto with 15 million followers, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with 14.4 million followers, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with 11.6 milli

Regulating social media: Banning it for children is no silver bullet

A private member's Bill has even proposed disabling the accounts of all under-16 users

All about Explurger: AI-powered world's first social media app for travellers

Watch the full video to learn all about Explurger, the world’s first AI-powered social media app designed exclusively for travellers.

Social media firms face legal reckoning over mental health harms to kids

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

Datanomics: India's fake news challenge grows amid rising AI misuse

Misinformation rises sharply despite laws and fact checks

UK to force tech companies to take down abusive images in 48 hours

Companies that fail to remove the content in time could be fined as much as 10 per cent of their global revenue or have their service blocked in the UK, the government said

Zuckerberg testifies at trial accusing social media of harming teens

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

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg set to testify in watershed social media trial

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