India to ban social media for under-18s

Last Updated on January 7, 2025 6:25 am

The minimum age to open an account on social media, including Facebook, will be 18. This rule is going to be implemented in India in the new year. The country has already prepared a draft.

The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Communication has published the Personal Data Protection Rules, which mentions this new guideline.

The draft rules say that the Indian government believes that children before the age of 18 are having a negative impact on social media.

The draft proposal also says that if a parent wants to let their child open an account on social media, they will have to give permission from the government. Age verification and permission should be put in place on every social media platform. Information cannot be shared with people under the age of 18 even with permission.

This rule is scheduled to come into effect on February 18. Unless any party objects, this rule will remain in force.

However, the draft published by the government did not say what punitive action will be taken for violating the rules. The government has sought public opinion on the matter. A final decision will be made after February 18.

Young people under the age of 18 have already established their own networks on social media. If this draft law is implemented, they will be isolated from there. Keeping such a large number of users out of social media will cause losses for tech companies.

Earlier, in November last year, Australia introduced a bill to ban social media for children and adolescents under the age of 16.

However, X owner Elon Musk criticized the matter and said that it seemed to be a secret strategy by the government to control Australian citizens’ access to the internet.