C-LAB report calls for national policy on smartphones, digital media use by children

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: A national policy regulating children's use of digital media, including restrictions on smartphones in schools and age-based access to online platforms, has been recommended in a report by the Centre for Legal Action and Behaviour Change (C-LAB).

The report, titled Prevention By Design: From Voluntary Self-Regulation to a State Duty of Care, calls for legal obligations and penalties to be imposed on digital platforms rather than children or their parents. It was launched at a United Nations General Assembly side event in New York on responsible AI and safe digital spaces for children.

The report compares age-based digital media restrictions in more than 40 countries and school smartphone policies across 110 countries. It argues that online child protection should move beyond voluntary self-regulation by technology platforms towards binding legal obligations supported by the State.

On smartphone use in schools, the report advocates restrictions, particularly in primary and lower secondary education. It noted that 52 countries have national legislative bans on smartphone use in schools, while 31 have issued national guidance recommending such restrictions. Only nine countries leave the decision entirely to individual schools.

The report recommends prohibiting pupil smartphone use throughout the school day in primary and lower secondary education. It also examines the growing movement towards age restrictions on social media, noting regulatory measures in Australia, China, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Just Rights for Children founder Bhuwan Ribhu said the expansion of the digital world had increased potential risks to children while preventive systems had not developed at the same pace. He called for mandatory reporting and an international legal framework to address online harms that cross borders.

The report also examined statutory provisions concerning contracts between minors and online platforms and parental consent. It noted that the age threshold for minors entering binding contracts varies across jurisdictions and stated that in India, an agreement entered into by a minor is void ab initio.

The report proposed a five-pillar framework: banning social media accounts for children below 15 and allowing supervised access for those aged 15 to 16 with verified parental or guardian consent; prohibiting profiling of minors for targeted advertising; introducing privacy-protecting age verification; establishing an independent online safety regulator; and increasing children's participation in policymaking, digital literacy and parental guidance.

The report said responsibility for compliance should rest primarily with digital platforms and called for mandatory reporting of violations and financial penalties for serious or systemic breaches. It also recommended disabling features such as infinite scrolling and dark patterns that could encourage compulsive use.

The report concluded that as children's participation in digital spaces becomes increasingly unavoidable, policy should focus not only on whether children are online but also on whether online environments protect their rights, safety and development and who bears responsibility when safeguards fail.

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