Children have phones in their hands and the phone reels for hours. This picture is of almost every house today. Now governments all over the world are preparing to control this and that too directly from inside the phone. According to sources, the Indian government is also considering such a system, in which in future, a separate ‘minor mode’ may be required in every smartphone sold in India. This means that the company making the phone will have to make arrangements for the safety of children. However, no draft rules or official notification has been issued on this yet. The matter is at the level of consideration.
After all, what is minor mode?
If you understand in simple language, Minor Mode is a separate secure environment created inside the phone. When the phone runs in this mode, the child can see and do only what is appropriate for his age. Apart from this, parents can decide which app will be downloaded and which will not. The number of hours the phone will be used daily is also decided in advance. Your phone or social media may automatically switch off late at night. Harmful content gets filtered. However, facilities like study-related apps and emergency calls do not stop, so that the child does not get stranded in times of need.
Are these settings not in the phone yet?
These settings are already present in the smartphone and this is the most interesting part of this whole news. Features like screen time, family sharing, child account and communication safety are already present in Apple’s iPhone. Apple has recently strengthened them further. Now age-appropriate security settings are automatically activated as soon as a child’s account is created, even if parents haven’t done the full setup.
Age ratings like 13 plus, 16 plus and 18 plus have also arrived on the App Store. Google’s Family Link does almost everything in Android phones. With this, parents can control the child’s screen time, app downloads and content.
Then why does the government need a new rule?
The difference is only in one word. Will and compulsion. Right now all these features are at the discretion of the parents. Most people don’t even know that their phones have such settings or they don’t bother to turn them on. The features of every company are hidden in different places. Somewhere in Apple, somewhere else in Samsung and Xiaomi. Many times these features are weak or incomplete in cheap phones.
The government wants the minor mode to be equally simple and visible in every phone. Also, mobile companies and app developers should add features related to child safety from the beginning. Don’t wait to add until later.
Where did the government’s concern begin?
This concern did not come suddenly. In the Economic Survey 2026 presented in Parliament in January this year, the government had described the increasing digital addiction among children as a serious public health problem.
The survey clearly stated that unfiltered content is affecting children’s behaviour, ability to concentrate and future goals. The survey had also recommended making age limits mandatory for social media platforms. Apart from this, suggestions like digital devices only for education and digital diet for children were also given.
Many states are already moving in this direction. Karnataka has formed a committee to examine the possibility of banning mobile use by children below 16 years of age. The Child Rights Commission of Andhra Pradesh has recommended a ban on smartphone use by children below 13 years of age. Bihar government is making a policy on children’s screen time based on the NIMHANS report.
What did China do that is being discussed?
China’s internet regulator proposed a rule to make minor mode mandatory in every smartphone, app and app store. In this, screen time is fixed according to age. Children younger than 8 years are allowed to use their phones only for 40 minutes a day, children between 8 to 16 years are allowed to use their phones for one hour and teenagers between 16 to 18 years of age are allowed to use their phones for a maximum of two hours.
Internet completely closed from 10 pm to 6 am. The apps close automatically once the time is up. If parents want, they can give some relaxation. This restriction does not apply to educational or emergency apps.
Not only China, Britain is also considering digital curfew for teenagers. In France, since 2022, there is a rule that parental controls should be pre-installed in every connected device and there should be an option to activate it for free as soon as the phone is turned on for the first time. Australia has banned social media accounts of children under 16 years of age.
What could happen next in India?
If this proposal goes ahead, then first of all draft rules will come, on which opinion will be sought from the public and industry. Then it will be decided whether the responsibility of creating minor mode will be of the phone company or of the operating system makers Google and Apple.
There is also a possibility of opposition from the companies, because last year many companies including Apple had objected to the order to pre-install the Sanchar Sathi app in the phones. There is also a big question of privacy in this. How will age be verified and who will protect the child’s data? There is bound to be debate on this. At present it is clear that this debate about children and smartphones has now left the doorstep of the house and has reached the government table. A big decision on this may come in the coming months.
Also read: Be careful! Your Smart Appliances are secretly spying, know which data is being tracked?
