BENGALURU, March 2 -- As the Karnataka government weighs a proposal to prohibit mobile phone use for children under 16, the debate unfolding across Bengaluru's homes and classrooms is less about devices themselves and more about the habits, dependencies and anxieties that have grown around them.

The move responds to mounting concern of parents and teachers about compulsive phone use among adolescents. Yet in a city where school notices circulate on WhatsApp and parents track commutes through ride-hailing apps, the prospect of a blanket ban has left many perturbed.

"It would be difficult to imagine this situation," said Soumya John, the mother of a 15-year-old. "I am working and I use WhatsApp to communicate with my child and Uber app's ...