Karnataka budget 2026: Social media will be banned for children under the age of 16, says CM Siddaramaiah

BENGALURU: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said the state government is planning a social media ban for children below 16 years while presenting the state budget for 2026–27."Social media will be banned for children under the age of 16 to prevent the adverse effects of increasing mobile usage. The ban is aimed at preventing the negative impact on children caused by increasing mobile phone usage, " Siddaramaiah said. Presenting his 17th budget, Siddaramaiah also criticised the Centre, saying it was doing injustice to the state by not adhering to the federal system of governance as laid out in the constitution.

He said the state government was pursuing a development strategy that balances welfare programmes with investments in infrastructure and long-term economic transformation, while urging the Union government to be more sensitive to the state’s demands.

Presenting the budget for 2026–27, Siddaramaiah said Karnataka remains at the forefront of the nation’s development and is among the largest contributors of tax revenues to the country.

"Our state is at the forefront in all sectors of the nation’s development; it is one of the key states that contributes the highest tax revenues,” he said. Total expenditure for 2026–27 is estimated at Rs 4,48,004 crore, Siddaramaiah said. This is the 17th budget he has presented in his political career.