Karnataka Budget 2026: Govt to ban social media for children under 16, says CM Siddaramaiah

Officials said discussions on restricting social media use among children took place earlier this year during meetings chaired by Siddaramaiah, including at a vice-chancellors’ conclave where concerns were raised over the impact of mobile phone addiction and online gaming.

However, child rights activists have called for greater focus on monitoring and awareness rather than just imposing bans on social media.

They argue that responsible usage practices should begin at home, with parents guiding children, and continue in schools through structured programmes that teach young users about the positive and productive aspects of social media. Awareness campaigns, they say, are essential to equip children with the skills to navigate online spaces safely, rather than simply penalising them for misuse.

Highlighting this concern, Dr N V Vasudeva Sharma, Executive Director, Child Rights Trust, Bengaluru, told The Indian Express, “When children today won’t eat a meal without their phone – often given to them by their own parents – how can the government realistically enforce a ban without first building awareness and support structures?”

Sharma emphasised that the government should invest in teacher and counsellor training and equip parents with tools to guide children towards responsible social media use, rather than relying solely on punitive measures. He added that enforcing a ban would be difficult without these support systems in place.

AI, machine learning courses

Among the key highlights for school education, the state government said it will upgrade 800 schools into Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) under the slogan “Uttama Kalike, Ujjwala Bhavishya” (Better Learning, Brighter Future). The integrated campuses will offer education from primary to pre-university levels and are expected to cost Rs 3,900 crore over three years.

The Budget also announced that 184 government higher primary schools have been upgraded to high schools and 50 high schools to pre-university colleges, to reduce the need for students to relocate. To improve infrastructure, Rs 565 crore will be spent on classrooms and repairs, Rs 75 crore on toilets, and Rs 25 crore on furniture, while Rs 125 crore will go toward maintenance of government schools and pre-university colleges.

For the first time, student facilities such as rural certificates and Kannada Medium study certificates were issued through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), and an English language training programme for primary school teachers will be launched at a cost of Rs 24 crore. In a push for digital learning, IIT Dharwad will collaborate with the state to provide an AI-based personalised digital tutor to 12.28 lakh students in Classes 8–12.

To address staff shortages, the government plans to fill 15,000 vacant teaching posts in schools and colleges and appoint mental health counsellors in all 204 Block Resource Centres.

The Karnataka Higher Education Transformation Project, implemented with ADB assistance, will invest Rs 2,500 crore to strengthen government degree colleges and polytechnics, set up 9 Centres of Excellence, and promote research and entrepreneurship.

The Budget also proposes 15 new high-demand courses, including Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Mining Engineering, and Automation Engineering, to be offered in government polytechnics and engineering colleges and enhance employability.

Other initiatives include developing the University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering on the lines of IITs, continuing the Deepika Scholarship for female students, and enacting the Rohith Vemula Act to prevent caste-based atrocities in universities. Student union elections, digital libraries in Dharwad and Bengaluru, and the expansion of NCC cadets by 10,000 were also announced.