Karnataka, India banning cellphones for kids under 16?

We can't even imagine what would happen here in the US of A if our government suddenly stopped everyone under the age of 16 from chatting it up on a mobile, but it looks like we just may find out how it goes down overseas when Karnataka, India does just that. Reportedly, its government is going to "ban cellphone use by children less than 16 years on the basis of advice of medical experts," and while specifics weren't divulged, apparently someone up high believes that "prolonged use of [handsets] by teenagers does affect their health" in an adverse way. Additionally, mobile dealers will no longer be allowed to sell handsets to youngsters under 16, and while a hard date for the ban hasn't been announced just yet, notification should be "issued soon."

[Via OnlyGizmos, image courtesy of BBC]

[Ellianth @ Sep 13th 2007 9:18PM]

They're gonna regret it if one day a young kid's death could have been prevented by them owning a cell phone.

[Jonathan Keim @ Sep 13th 2007 9:23PM]

Yeah, it can only be a hazzard, but don't forget that the rays are being passed through our bodies 24/7 anyway whether we own a cellphone or not

[V.I. @ Sep 13th 2007 9:26PM]

Makes me wonder, what was I doing before I owned a cellphone?

[Barry @ Sep 13th 2007 9:28PM]

Sure, because people 16 and older are immune to any harm which can be caused by cellphones (is that even proven yet?) and if you're younger, the danger is that much higher.

This ban makes no sense

[Srinivas @ Sep 14th 2007 12:16PM]

So let us start selling cigarettes and booze to minors :)

While I do not support the ban on cell phones, arguing on the age limit seems ridiculous. After all, if it is a "potential" health hazard and an adult wants to take that chance let them.

[Undead @ Sep 13th 2007 9:29PM]

Haha my friend lives over there and she's like 19 but she looks like shes like 15 I would laugh if she got in trouble for havin a phone

[paul34 @ Sep 13th 2007 9:35PM]

lol, laws like this never get enforced over there.

Trust me on that one.

[Atman @ Sep 13th 2007 9:39PM]

thats just stupid. As if it's gonna work anyways.. I mean.. Its India..

[Sandeep @ Sep 13th 2007 9:41PM]

agreed with paul34. what's to stop a parent from just giving the kid an old phone with a prepaid account? if it makes the reseller money, they're not gonna ID.

this is a waste of time for the karnataka government

[TheSmartMan @ Sep 13th 2007 9:52PM]

Its a good law. At least the govt is trying to something good for children in that state and no one will sue them, unlike the idiots in the USA.
The kids in this country are becoming unsocial and schizophrenic by becoming too gadget-crazy and lonesome.

[Johan S @ Sep 13th 2007 10:42PM]

@TheSmartMan

How is it a good law? Why not just hand over the kids to the government then? It's a parent right and decision whether a kid should have a cell phone. If parents in India are that delinquent, imagine the type of governments they'll be electing. If the parents are fools, imagine how dumb the government is. Cell phones are useful in emergency situations. Parents should decide the controls on how much their own kid uses the cellphone. Not the government. Kids need to be savvy with the latest technologies unless they want low level jobs.

[vbbr @ Sep 18th 2007 8:03AM]

I guess the difference in social structures also counts here. What applies in country A cannot be directly applied to country B.
But think about it, did we not survive without cellphones when we were kids ?
In the internet age, people like to get 'social' on the web/mobile etc; while having very little inter-personal interaction.
I do not fully support the ban on the cellphone, but i think it has its benefits.

[Niz @ Sep 14th 2007 4:06AM]

teenagers usually when they use their phones are making social calls, arranging to meet etc. So i don't see how it makes people anti-social at that age.

[Chris @ Sep 13th 2007 9:54PM]

why not, i'll take one :)

[Jagannath A @ Sep 13th 2007 9:56PM]

Cellphones are banned in most schools and colleges in my place (I live in Chennai, India). Principals of schools and Deans of our colleges argue mindlessly that the usage of cellphone is the leading cause to poor academic performance of students. They want something to blame instead of improving faculty standards, infrastructure and the curriculum.

Most of the parents objected to this as they want to keep in touch with their children and it gives them a sense of security.

Now they are arguing in the health point of view of the young people. This can be accepted and is a good move but its difficult to tell how effectively it can be implemented. If its risking the health of the children they should better leave it to the parents to take care. These bans are unnecessary. There are much burning topics before the karnataka government for eg. improving the infrastructure of Banglore to sustain its place as the silicon valley of India. Leading IT companies have threatened to shift base from Banglore if the govt doesnt take steps to improve the infrastructure.

A few of my friends who are in College studying 'Electronics and Communication Engineering' cant use cellphone in college. The Irony is that their primary area of interest is GSM and CDMA Networks. :P

[TerraCotta @ Sep 13th 2007 10:01PM]

There might be some ground there in this decision other than the effects of the electromagnetic waves.

Some of the kids chat day long with their cell phone at the expense of physical exercises or social activities with real people.

I commute to work using public transit. Sometimes the kids (and even adults) talk loudly without any regards to the other person around. May be the officials in Karnataka take such a radical measure to avoid this kind of cell phone abuse.

[Johan S @ Sep 13th 2007 10:50PM]

Are they talking to robots on the cell phone? Kids talk to other kids on their cellphone, instead of strangers around them. Talking on the cell phonme gets boring, so of course they play sports or whatever etc. too. Cellphones can help a kid out if he is in a bad situation. Also if someone has a cellphone and gets kidnapped they have a chance of calling for help.

It's not the government's business to ban cell phones. Some parents may want their kids to be tech savvy and safer so they give them cell phones. If parents can be trusted with basic decision making how can the governments they elect be any better?

[Johan S @ Sep 13th 2007 10:36PM]

Government decisions in India is spread by rumors. The government doesn't do things based on published medical peer reviewed studies, rather they go listening to random idiots who are "experts" because they seem to sound like they make sense.

Not to mention government has no business banning kids from cell phones. It is the parent's decision, not that of an evil nanny state government.

[jamesFF @ Sep 13th 2007 10:49PM]

I once saw a 6 year old girl tryng to ride a bike while talking on a cell phone.

By the way, arn't todays cell phone less powerfull than the old analogs?

[Kevin @ Sep 13th 2007 10:50PM]

The actual way to protect people under sixteen from electromagnetic rays?

It's not taking away their cell phones lads and lasses!

It's a tinfoil hat!

[Josh L @ Sep 13th 2007 11:06PM]

Cellphone radiation as a health hazard is a lot of bullshit, but I'd welcome any law that reduces the number of cellphones in restaurants and cinemas.

[Shreyas @ Sep 13th 2007 11:08PM]

i was born there! a laws in india dont work. I was driving there when i was 14. I go there every now and then and drive and no one cares. learned from grand parents all you have to do is pay off the cops. and kids there dont really care about the popo's. Hell of a place to live. this law is a joke.

[adp21 @ Sep 14th 2007 3:03AM]

Shreyas - what amazes me is wannabes like you who live outside India and never fail to miss out on an opportunity to make fun of your home country. Open your eyes, and learn that like human beings, a country too may change over time....

This country has a brighter future than any 10 other so called developed countries (US included) despite the vast issues it faces everyday with a population of 1.1 B persons

Consider this - while the US is stumbling over petty issues like whether it should elect a woman or an Afro-American president, India has already elected a woman Prime Minister (back in the 80s I might add) a woman President, a Muslim President (in a country with 80% Hindus), a Sikh President and other political figures from multiple caste/ racial backgrounds. Of course, all this & more in 60 years - I could go on based on the vast amount of research I have done, but I think you understand the point I have to make

Btw - I live in Mumbai at present and most laws are very much followed here given that this city has a population of 16m people. Co-incidentally, Mumbai also has a much much lower crime rate than NYC (which has half as many people as Mumbai). Given the vast difference in the wealth & education levels of a New Yorker vs. a Mumbaiite, I wonder why that is the case....

There are some laws that have loopholes large enough for the rich & famous anywhere in the world to exploit

Also as a FYI - I was in the US for 15 years prior to moving back to India, 2.5 years back. Currently have dual US & Indian citizenship - so not a complete India fan boy either...just someone who has opened his eyes up to the rest of the world and realized that the rest of the world has indeed moved ahead and out of the dark ages...yes there are things that happen here which we would gawk at elsewhere, but then again there are multiple things in the U.S. that I have found difficult to accept despite growing up there....

Not taking a swing at the US or another country here, but I am sick & tired of people bashing India because of the way it was 10 years back. I used to be like this at some point in time, but educated myself about this place over the past 2-3 years..suggest others buck up and accept the fact that 10 years from now, we will be looking east towards China & India for more stuff that just BPOs and lead coated toys...

Also as food for thought - How come no one picks on Sweden when Arvi said he is not allowed by law to sell cellphones to anyone there who is under 18? Ain't that as bad as this supposed law passed in India?

[Niz @ Sep 14th 2007 4:13AM]

I can't be bothered to argue my point so I just want to remind everyone to not blindly take for fact what random people write on the internet.

[Stella Roy @ Sep 14th 2007 12:10AM]

Well thats the right thing to do. These young kids most of them are the one who misuse cellphones for things that are not acceptable in Indian society.

-Stella Roy
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=665751269

[Ankur @ Sep 14th 2007 12:39AM]

Well, I believe monitoring and placing checks on the kids is a job better left with their parents. Cellphones is a necessary tool. But it has become a luxury, show-off, and chit-chat box for most kids.

[Arvid @ Sep 14th 2007 12:47AM]

As a cell-phone salesman in Sweden, I'm not allowed to sell phones to people younger than 18...

[Arvid @ Sep 14th 2007 12:51AM]

... And this doesn't keep kids from having phones... their parents buy for them anyways, for the safety or to make them stop nagging.. we've got 4-year olds with phones...
so I think it's a good Idea of India to officially show parent's that it might be bad for their childrens's brains and balls...

[airibis @ Sep 14th 2007 12:54AM]

I had no clue these crap laws existed

[r3loaded @ Sep 14th 2007 1:06AM]

Kids, this is what happens when your state is run by commies :)

Seriously though, this is like the law barring alcohol to under 25s - everyone ignores it. Similarly, my cousin has a driving license and she never took a driving test - our uncle is a judge, so he got her sorted out with a fake one.

I'm still not sure which country is worse - Britain with its incessant surveillance or India with its mad-cap politicians.

[mark @ Sep 14th 2007 5:27AM]

How about a law in India that no one under 16 procreates? Don't they have enough people already?

[shishyan @ Sep 14th 2007 5:19PM]

Do you even know what's the culture there? They harly have sex in their teenage. STFU

[shishyan @ Sep 14th 2007 7:41AM]

Do you know the what's the culture there? They hardly have sex during their teenages. So STFU.

[Rohith @ Sep 14th 2007 10:05AM]

I live in Bangalore Karnataka. Actually the banning of mobile phones was hailed as a good move.
The culture in Karnataka is not the same as that of US. The main reason why such a ban was contemplated was that it children keep fiddling with their phones in class rooms and not all the children have mobile phones. The idea is that at a young age children must not be distinguished on the basis of wealth of their parents(usually the wealthy parents give their children cellphones).Apart from this there are other social issues to consider. Things are not like in US where children regard their cellphone as a gadget.
So the rule cannot be judged on the appearances

[Kurian @ Sep 14th 2007 10:59AM]

Its because in India everyone doesnt have a cellphone. Everyone doesnt have a PS2. Everyone doesnt even have a landline at home.

It's simply to prevent the wealthy from showing off to other impressionable kids at schools.

[kumeresh @ Sep 14th 2007 11:48AM]

If the students use the cell phones diligently then this case wud not arise. Its also upto parents to see whether their toddler requires a mobile. I dont think so it is necessary for ppl upto 16 to use mobile in schools or colleges.

The rule is good but ppl shud abide by that rather than criticising them.

[BatteryAcid @ Sep 14th 2007 11:31PM]

I swear officer, i'm legal! i just left my id at home.

[gurcea @ Sep 16th 2007 1:50PM]

Wisdom & reason prevail profit @ atlast in india.
!!!!!congratulations india!!!!!

[vish @ Sep 17th 2007 4:45AM]

I think they should have forced the private carriers to have specific plans for kids (more like Hotline numbers : You are allowed to make calls to only 'x' numbers x=2-3) That would have solved quite a few issues.

Problem is that cellphones in India are still a status symbol among kids. This results in a kind of rat race and causes some kind of distrust among the "have nots" of the society (may sound socialist, but "have nots" are quite a large number)
This leads to stealing etc.

I agree that cellphone can provide advantages like making calls during emergencies, and cellphones to kids should be made for ONLY that purpose. Lets see if operators can use their pea-brains once in a while.

[Amrita @ Oct 15th 2007 6:00AM]

Yea..and if they think anyones actually going to follow this rule, they're in for a rude awakening. Its ridiculous to ban cellphones dammit! They're useful as hell(what am I supposed to run to an STD booth every time i have to make a call?),and sure there are the kids who misuse them, but whats to say they won't figure other ways of doing the same thing anyway? Completely useless ban..will not work.

"But it has become a luxury, show-off, and chit-chat box for most kids. "
Ankur, agree with you completely.

I do agree that cellphones should not be allowed in schools though. In my school they did get lenient in the middle and say they'd let us bring phones to school as long as they were kept switched off, but well of corse no one listened..so that completely backfired.