- Proponents believe new rules could empower parents and potentially reduce risks for children, while privacy advocates warn that regulations could lead to intrusive surveillance and misuse of personal data

NEW DELHI

India could soon join the ranks of countries around the world implementing stricter controls on social media access for children, a prospect that has drawn both praise and concerns within the country.

Proponents believe the proposed rules will empower parents to better oversee their children’s online activities, potentially reducing risks like cyberbullying, online harassment, and harmful content exposure.

However, privacy advocates warn that without strict legal safeguards, these regulations could lead to intrusive surveillance and misuse of personal data.

What are the proposed measures?

On Jan. 3, the Indian government introduced draft rules that, among other things, require social media platforms to obtain verifiable parental consent before allowing children to create accounts.

Published by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the draft rules are open for public consultation. They mandate that social media platforms must verify that individuals claiming to be parents or guardians are indeed adults and identifiable.

Verification could be completed by cross-checking reliable identity and age information already available on the platform or through government-approved identification documents voluntarily provided by users.

This framework would apply not only to social media companies but also to e-commerce sites and gaming platforms, which often attract younger audiences.

The new guidelines are designed to ensure stricter enforcement of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) enacted in 2023, and focus on protecting the data of users under 18.

Should the rules be officially notified, platforms will be required to enable a parent or guardian to verify their identity and age before a child can create an account. This verification process must be thorough, regardless of whether the parent or guardian is already a registered user of the platform.

In situations where consent must be obtained from a guardian of a person with disabilities, the draft rules stipulate that platforms must verify that the guardian has been legally appointed by a court or recognized authority.

Some sectors will be exempt from these requirements, including hospitals, educational institutions, and childcare providers. These exemptions are limited to essential activities such as delivering health services, education, safety monitoring, and transportation tracking.

Additional exceptions apply to actions carried out to fulfill legal obligations, distribute government benefits, manage user accounts, or protect minors from harmful online content.

India's rapidly expanding digital footprint underscores the urgency of such measures.

As of 2024, the country had 751.5 million internet users – representing 52.4% of its population – and 462 million active social media users, making up 32.2%. Additionally, there are 1.12 billion mobile connections, covering 78% of the population, demonstrating the vast scale of digital engagement in India.

Parental approval and public reception

The proposed rules have been met with widespread approval from parents and mental health professionals, many of whom have long called for stricter regulations on children's internet usage.

Harvinder Saraswat, a New Delhi-based counseling psychologist, praised the new rules, emphasizing the critical role of parental oversight in children’s digital lives.

“Now the parents will have a better idea of what their child is up to, and it will help the parents understand what their child is experiencing and enables them to guide them away from harm,” Saraswat told Anadolu.

She pointed out that excessive use of social media and online games is linked to declining focus, poor academic performance, and reduced self-esteem among children.

Saraswat highlighted that pressures stemming from body image issues, online trolling, and social comparison can severely impact children’s mental health.

“Social media pressures, such as body image issues and trolling, contribute to mental health struggles, while phone addiction leads to abnormal brain activity,” she explained.

Saraswat also noted that smartphones and other devices offer children a sense of privacy, making it harder for parents to monitor their activities.

She stressed the importance of educating children on cyber safety, cyberbullying, and online sexual exploitation, citing incidents where children shared compromising photos and became targets of blackmail.

Raju Sharma, a 40-year-old teacher and father of a 9-year-old girl, also commended the government’s proposal. He believes that platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube should not be freely accessible to children without parental oversight.

Sharma sees parental consent as a necessary step to shield children from online threats, including cyberbullying and exposure to unrealistic online portrayals.

However, not all parents agree on the effectiveness of the proposed rules.

Sheetal, a mother of a 15-year-old boy, expressed skepticism about the policy’s impact. She argued that determined teenagers might still find ways to bypass these restrictions, potentially making parental monitoring even more challenging.

Aligning with global trends

India's move to tighten online safety measures aligns with global efforts to make the internet safer for children.

Last November, Australia amended its Online Safety Act to ban social media access for users under 16, introducing fines of up to $32 million for social media firms. A trial phase begins this month, with the full ban expected to take effect within a year.

Globally, major platforms like Facebook, TikTok, X, and Snapchat have set their minimum age for account creation at 13. However, child safety advocates argue that this threshold is insufficient, as many younger children manage to create accounts despite these rules.

European countries have also been proactive. Norway proposed raising its minimum consent age to 15 in October, while France enacted a law in 2023 requiring parental consent for users under 15. Belgium’s data protection law, introduced in 2018, mandates that children must be at least 13 to create social media accounts without parental permission.

Concerns about privacy and data collection

Despite widespread support for enhancing child safety, some experts have raised serious concerns about data privacy and surveillance implications.

The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), a digital rights advocacy group, warned that the absence of a universal online age verification system could lead the government to eventually require all users – adults and children alike – to verify their age using official credentials.

“This holds the potential for mass surveillance with government IDs linked to every user’s online credentials,” the group cautioned in a public statement.

The IFF expressed apprehension that the proposed rules might result in excessive data collection and prolonged storage of personal information, heightening privacy risks without adequate safeguards.

Critics also argue that enforcing parental consent could unintentionally compromise user privacy by compelling platforms to collect and store sensitive identity documents.