In a significant move aimed at protecting children online, the Indian government has proposed a set of new rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, of 2023. According to the draft rules, children below the age of 18 will no longer be able to easily create social media accounts. Instead, they will require explicit parental consent for account creation, marking a major shift in the way social media handles minor’s data.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the draft rules on Friday, which include provisions requiring companies to seek
Government approval before transferring personal data outside India. The proposed regulations aim to ensure tighter control over personal data, particularly data related to minors, in an increasingly connected world.
Data protection oversight and penalties
The rules outline the establishment of a Data Protection Board, which will be tasked with overseeing compliance and enforcing penalties. Companies found guilty of violating these data protection standards could face penalties of up to ₹250 crores for data breaches, reflecting the government’s strong stance on securing personal information.
Public feedback period
In an effort to gather diverse opinions, the government has opened a public consultation process. Feedback on the draft rules will be accepted until February 18, 2025, through the MYGov citizen engagement platform. Once the consultation period ends, the government will review the feedback and make adjustments before moving forward with the final implementation of the rules.
Concerns over age verifications and parental consent
The draft rules, while introducing much-needed safeguards, have raised concerns among IT experts. A key point of contention is the particularity of enforcing parental consent when a child, who may not be aware of the rules, declares their age as below 18. Experts are questioning whether social media platforms will be able to verify the child’s age and the parent’s consent effectively, considering that children may not voluntarily disclose their age as underage when creating accounts.
Despite these concerns, the government has emphasized that the rules are still in the draft phase, and public opinion will be taken into account before finalizing them.
A shift in social media dynamics
The new rules come in response to growing concerns about the negative impact of social media on young minds. With children becoming increasingly active online, the government is aiming to provide greater protection against exposure to harmful content and privacy violations. These rules could also pave the way for better data protection practices across social media platforms, ensuring that minors’ information is treated with the utmost care.
As the feedback period continues, all eyes will be on how these draft rules involve and how they will be enforced in a rapidly changing digital landscape.