MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has constituted an expert task force to study the impact of social media use among minors and recommend regulatory and policy measures to address growing concerns about its effect on children’s mental health, behaviour and learning.According to a government resolution issued on March 25, the panel will examine the extent and pattern of social media usage among those below 18 years and assess its impact on mental and physical health, behaviour, education and social development. The task force will also study the influence of digital advertising on minors and review national and international policies governing social media regulation.The panel will be chaired by the additional chief secretary/principal secretary of the school education and sports department, with the women and child development department serving as co-chair. Members include senior officials from the public health, information technology, law and judiciary, and home departments.The committee also includes representatives from academia and schools, including the associate dean of commerce and management at the University of Mumbai, the principal of Bombay Scottish School in Mumbai and the headmaster of a Marathi-medium school. Representatives from NGOs working in the field, the Indian Psychiatric Society and social media platforms are also part of the panel, while the director of the Directorate of Information Technology will serve as the member secretary.Sunita George, principal of Bombay Scottish School and a member of the task force, said social media content is already affecting classroom learning. “Quick high stimulated content is adversely impacting student attention and is making classroom engagement more challenging. The concern is excessive and unregulated use of social media by young children who are still developing self control and cognitive control,” she said.George added that schools are increasingly facing cases of online harassment among students. “I think schools today are increasingly dealing with cyberbullying and most times its happening silently in closed groups, in the form of memes, AI generated deepfakes which is difficult for schools to track,” she said.She said regulations may be necessary but cautioned against blanket restrictions. “I think regulations are definitely required but a blanket ban may not work. Safe, guided use with age based and graded restrictions might be a more practical approach,” she said.Highlighting enforcement challenges, George added, “There are challenges in implementation of complete ban. Children are digital natives who can bypass by using vpns or international servers. The focus may have to shift to making the digital platforms accountable and building safe and responsible digital ecosystem by empowering parents, training educators and creating awareness among children.”The task force has been asked to submit a detailed report with recommendations within three months of its formation. The government said the findings will help frame a policy framework for Maharashtra that protects children while ensuring responsible use of technology.
