The new social media policy approved by the Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday is aimed at regulating content across platforms including Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube. It introduces guidelines for addressing objectionable social media content and mandates legal action.

Under the new policy, posting anti-national content is a serious offence that carries severe consequences, with penalties ranging from three years of imprisonment to a life term. Previously, such actions were addressed under Sections 66E and 66F of the Information Technology (IT) Act, which deal with privacy violations and cyberterrorism, respectively.

Additionally, disseminating obscene or defamatory material online can result in criminal defamation charges, further underscoring the legal ramifications of misusing digital platforms, according to an official statement.

According to the new policy, sharing of government schemes, initiatives, projects, and achievement-based content will be encouraged by giving advertisements across social media platforms.

Influencers can earn up to Rs 8 lakh per month on social media by sharing the government’s schemes and initiatives on their platforms. The policy will also provide possible employment opportunities for social media influencers.

The policy has also specified payment limits for influencers, account holders and operators on social media platforms. For X, Facebook, and Instagram, the maximum monthly payment limits are set at Rs 5 lakh, Rs 4 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, respectively. On YouTube, the payment limits for videos, shorts and podcasts are Rs 8 lakh, Rs 7 lakh, Rs 6 lakh, and Rs 4 lakh, respectively.

According to the policy, the government has listed a digital agency, V-Form, to handle advertisements. The agency V-Form will be responsible for showcasing videos, tweets, posts and reels.