India, Jan. 30 -- India's Economic Survey 2025-26 has called for age-based restrictions on digital platforms, warning that compulsive screen use among young people is imposing measurable economic and social costs on the country.

The survey recommends social media companies enforce age verification and implement age-appropriate defaults, "particularly for social media, gambling apps, auto-play features, and targeted advertising." The proposal targets an "intensely digital environment" where near-universal access has shifted the challenge from connectivity to behavioural health. "Digital addiction negatively affects academic performance and workplace productivity due to distractions, 'sleep debt', and reduced focus," the survey states, fla...