Karnataka proposes 1-hour cap on recreational screen time for students

Amid growing concerns over technology addiction and its impact on mental health, Karnataka is working on a draft Policy for ‘Responsible Digital Use Among Students’, proposing a one-hour daily cap on recreational screen time. Among other measures, the draft suggests developing age-appropriate devices and operating systems that evolve with the child’s age. It also proposes a 'child plan' for mobile phones, including audio-only options and automatic data shutdown by 7pm to limit late-evening screen exposure.

The policy, prepared by Department of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with Karnataka State Mental Health Authority (KSMHA), National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), and Department of Education, targets students from Classes 9 to 12, along with teachers and parents.

The move comes in the wake of the budget speech given by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who announced that the state plans to ban social media use for children under 16 to mitigate the adverse effects of excessive mobile usage.

At the core of the proposal is a recommendation to limit recreational screen time to not more than one hour per day, excluding academic use.

Schools will be required to integrate digital well-being and social media literacy into existing curricula such as life skills, value education, and ICT. The policy proposes educating students on online safety, consent, privacy, digital footprints, and respectful online behaviour. It also suggests curating recommended online resources for academic use to reduce unnecessary browsing and screen exposure.

The draft mandates each school to formulate a Digital Use Policy, outlining protocols for cyberbullying, limits on device usage, and teacher responsibilities in regulating digital exposure. It discourages direct communication between teachers and students through platforms such as WhatsApp, recommending a return to traditional diary-based communication systems.

Guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence in assignments, including plagiarism checks, have also been proposed.