Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Friday that social media will be banned for children below the age of 16 in the state, making the declaration while presenting the Karnataka Budget for 2026-27 in the Vidhana Soudha. The budget has been pegged at Rs 4,48,004 crore, with a strong focus on technology-driven growth, large-scale infrastructure development and environmental sustainability.
Why the Social Media Ban Was Announced
The Chief Minister said the decision was aimed directly at addressing the growing problem of digital addiction among young people. “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,” he said during his budget speech.
The announcement follows a period of deliberation by the state government on international models of age-based social media restrictions. Last month, after a meeting with vice chancellors at the Karnataka State Higher Education Council, Siddaramaiah had said the government was studying similar measures introduced in other countries before finalising a framework for Karnataka.
AI and Technology Park to Come Up Under IISc
On the technology front, Siddaramaiah announced that an Artificial Intelligence and Technology Park will be established under the Indian Institute of Science. The institute will set up a dedicated Robotics and AI campus, to be called the Bangalore Robotics and AI Innovation Zone, in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited.
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Two AI Centres of Excellence will also be set up in Bengaluru in partnership with the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology, the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms and NASSCOM, at a combined cost of Rs 16 crore.
Two Major Road Corridors Approved for Bengaluru
In a significant infrastructure push for the city, Siddaramaiah announced approval for two major road corridor projects. The North-South Corridor will run from Hebbal Junction to HSR Layout and Silk Board Junction, while the East-West Corridor will connect K R Puram to Mysore Road. Together the two projects span 40 kilometres and will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 40,000 crore under the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer model.
Tenders have already been invited for the first phase, which covers the 17-kilometre North-South Corridor at an estimated cost of Rs 17,780 crore. Additionally, the Bangalore Development Authority will construct a tunnel road and elevated corridor from Hebbal Junction to Mekhri Circle at a cost of Rs 2,250 crore.
GST Rationalisation Has Dented State Revenue
The Chief Minister flagged a significant revenue concern arising from the GST rate rationalisation carried out in September 2025. Before the changes, Karnataka’s average monthly GST revenue growth in 2025-26 was around 10 per cent. After the revised rates came into effect, that growth moderated to around 4 per cent per month.
Siddaramaiah said the restructuring is expected to reduce the state’s overall GST collections by approximately Rs 10,000 crore in the current financial year and by Rs 15,000 crore in the next.
Flood Management, Wildlife and Transparency Measures
Under the Karnataka Water Security and Resilience Programme, a World Bank-funded initiative, the government will implement disaster management projects over five years at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore to address the recurring flooding problem in Bengaluru.
A Leopard Rehabilitation Centre will be established at Bannerghatta Biological Park at a cost of Rs 5 crore to care for leopards captured from residential areas on the city’s outskirts.
On governance reform, the Chief Minister said that transfers of Group-C officers in the Excise Department, including Excise Inspectors, Sub-Inspectors and Constables, have already been carried out through digital counselling for greater transparency. The government will now extend the same digital counselling process to the transfers of Excise Deputy Superintendents and Excise Superintendents as well.
