Entertainment
In India, social media ban for teens proposed as global debate grows after Australia’s action
NEW DELHI: An ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a bill to ban social media for children, as the world’s biggest market for Meta and YouTube joins a global debate on the impact of social media on young people’s health and safety.
“Not only are our children becoming addicted to social media, but India is also one of the world’s largest producers of data for foreign platforms,” lawmaker LSK Devarayalu told Reuters on Friday.
“Based on this data, these companies are creating advanced AI systems, effectively turning Indian users into unpaid data providers, while the strategic and economic benefits are reaped elsewhere,” he said.
Australia last month became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access in a move welcomed by many parents and child advocates but criticised by major technology companies and free-speech advocates.
France’s National Assembly this week backed legislation to ban children under 15 from social media, while Britain, Denmark and Greece are studying the issue.
Facebook operator Meta YouTube-parent Alphabet and X did not respond on Saturday to emails seeking comment on the Indian legislation. Meta has said it backs laws for parental oversight but that “governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites.”
India’s IT ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
India, the world’s second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion internet users, is a key growth market for social media apps and does not set a minimum age for access.
Devarayalu’s 15-page Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill, which is not public but was seen by Reuters, says no one under 16 “shall be permitted to create, maintain, or hold” a social media account and those found to have one should have them disabled.
“We are asking that the entire onus of ensuring users’ age be placed on the social media platforms,” Devarayalu said.
The government’s chief economic adviser attracted attention on Thursday by saying India should draft policies on age-based access limits to tackle “digital addiction”.
Devarayalu’s legislation is a private member’s bill — not proposed to parliament by a federal minister — but such bills often trigger debates in parliament and influence lawmaking.
He is from the Telugu Desam Party, which governs the southern state of Andhra Pradesh and is vital to Modi’s coalition government.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s perseverance rover has successfully completed its first artificial intelligence (AI) driven drive on another planet.
The perseverance used an AI model, Claude, developed by Anthropic, to design a 400-meter safe route across the rocky terrain of Jezero Carter. The plan was executed on December 8 and 10, 2025.
Previously, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) performed this manually.
As Mars is, on average, 140 million miles away from Earth, it creates a communication delay of about 20 minutes, which makes it unable to drive rovers in real-time.
Instead of it, operators meticulously plan a series of way points also known as “breadcrumb trail” with the help of orbital images and rover data, which the rover then follows autonomously between points.
For this test, engineers gave Claude years of mission data in context.
The AI system analysed high-resolution orbital imagery, detected dangers such as boulder fields and sand ripples, and produced a continuous path.
It even produced the commands in the rover’s specialised programming language.
Before application, JPL engineers verified it via standard verification simulation, checking over 500,000 variables.
One minor adjustment was needed after tests. Resultantly, perseverance drove 689 ft and then 807 ft on the two sols (Marian days), completing the AI-planned route without issue.
Just in time for love filled February moments, Meghan Markle has unveiled a special limited edition chocolate collection through her lifestyle brand As Ever on Saturday.
The new As Ever x Compartés Valentine’s Day box brings together gourmet flavours and beautifully designed packaging.
“Our Valentine’s Day As ever x @compartes collection is here!” she wrote.
Created in collaboration with Los Angeles luxury chocolatier Compartés, the collection features four handcrafted bars.
Think rich Strawberry Spread Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Spread Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate with Flower Sprinkles and Milk Chocolate with Shortbread Cookies and Bee Pollen, all wrapped in cheerful floral-inspired boxes.
The duo’s holiday chocolate trio in 2025 flew off shelves in record time, selling out in under an hour and fans are already anticipating another quick disappearance this season too, especially with Valentine’s Day just around the corner.
It first started with small-batch spreads, teas, baking mixes and sweet treats, and has expanded into wines, candles and now premium chocolates.
In fact, the brand’s name, As Ever, represents her desire to build something timeless and warm that feels like home.
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