In Mumbai on December 13, Bollywood stars Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal made a case for limiting social‑media access among minors in India, following Australia’s recent decision. The pair took part in a panel at the Mumbai Education Trust (MET) College, where they were asked to weigh in on Australia’s ban on accounts for users under 16.
Sonakshi welcomed the measure, calling it “a very good thing” and urging India to adopt a similar rule. Zaheer added that a blanket prohibition isn’t always necessary; what matters more is how a child’s online exposure is managed.
“You can do extreme also. And you can ban things. But it’s also that you can control it properly. Like in my house, when my niece comes over, she has an iPad, but it’s very controlled in what she can use on the iPad. So, I think there’s a way to control it. You don’t have to. I mean, it’s good,” he explained.
Sonakshi stressed that until a child can truly distinguish right from wrong, they shouldn’t be exposed to social media. “No, I think it’s avoidable. Till a certain age at least. Till a child is old enough to understand the difference between right and wrong, and what is good, and what is bad. I think till that age, it should not be exposed to a child,” the “Dabangg” actress added.
Zaheer wrapped up by noting that monitoring remains essential. “Yeah, and till then, also like you should really control it. Sometimes, you don’t know what buttons, where they go. So, it’s always good to monitor them when they are watching as well. I know it’s a pain. If someone is watching for 2 hours, and you are watching with them. But someone should.”
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