Karnataka Bans Social Media for Under-16s, Unveils AI Park & Mega Infra in Budget

Arshad said excessive exposure to unfiltered information on social media can negatively affect children's mental and emotional development. He added that a proper system is needed to regulate such exposure and expressed confidence that the government recognised the issue, which is why it announced the move.

"Social media usage by young children is a social issue that every family is undergoing. We know that if our children get exposed to a lot of unfiltered information through social media, that affects their mental and emotional capabilities, it will impact their growth and their behaviour. There needs to be some system where this is avoided... I feel the government understands this, which is why the government came out with this statement," Arshad told ANI.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today announced that social media will be banned for children under the age of 16, while presenting the 2026-27 State Budget in the Vidhana Soudha.

In his Budget speech, Siddaramaiah said the move aims to prevent the adverse effects of increasing mobile usage among children.

He also announced that an AI and Technology Park will be set up under the Indian Institute of Science, which will establish a Robotics and AI campus named the "Bangalore Robotics and AI Innovation Zone" in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation and Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited.

The Chief Minister further said that the North-South Corridor project from Hebbal Junction to HSR Layout-Silk Board Junction and the East-West Corridor project from K. R. Puram to Mysore Road, covering a total length of 40 km, have been approved at an estimated cost of Rs 40,000 crore under the BOOT model. In the first phase, tenders have been invited for the 17-km North-South Corridor project for Rs 17,780 crore.

Siddaramaiah also announced that a tunnel road and an elevated road from Hebbal Junction to Mekhri Circle will be constructed by the Bangalore Development Authority at Rs 2,250 crore.

Karnataka State Budget has been pegged at Rs 4,48,004 crore, with a focus on technology-driven growth, infrastructure development, and environmental sustainability.

Presenting the Budget, Siddaramaiah said that Karnataka plays a distinctive role in national and international trade, and rapid developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are transforming global production systems. He emphasised that innovations in science and technology are increasingly shaping the trajectory of the state. In this context, he said the Budget has been presented with responsibility and foresight to move forward with the resolve to "turn fire into light."

The Chief Minister also highlighted the impact of GST rate rationalisation carried out in September 2025. He said the changes have reduced the state's GST collections. Before the rationalisation, Karnataka's average monthly GST revenue growth in 2025-26 was around 10 per cent (net of refunds). However, after the implementation of the revised rates, the average monthly growth has moderated sharply to around 4 per cent. The restructuring is expected to reduce overall GST collections by approximately Rs 10,000 crore in the current financial year and Rs 15,000 crore in the next year.

Among the major announcements, Siddaramaiah said that with the objective of establishing a state-of-the-art AI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, two centres will be set up in collaboration with the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology, the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms and NASSCOM at a total cost of Rs 16 crore.

He also announced that a Leopard Rehabilitation Centre will be established in Bannerghatta Biological Park to rehabilitate leopards captured from residential areas on the outskirts of Bengaluru, at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore.

Under the Karnataka Water Security and Resilience Programme (KWSRP), a World Bank-funded initiative, disaster management projects will be undertaken over five years for Rs 5,000 crore to address flooding in Bengaluru.

Siddaramaiah further announced that, in accordance with revised transfer rules of the Excise Department, transfers of Group-C cadre officers including Excise Inspectors, Excise Sub-Inspectors, and Excise Head Constables/Constables, have been carried out through digital counselling to enhance transparency. The government will also extend digital counselling for transfers of Excise Deputy Superintendents and Excise Superintendents.

- ANI