New Delhi: Age restrictions alone may not be enough to protect children from online harm, a new report by NALSAR University of Law and the Indian Governance and Policy Project (IGAP) has cautioned, calling for a broader framework that makes digital platforms more accountable for the risks their services pose to young users.
Titled ‘The Child Safety Imperative: Age-Appropriate Digital Governance Pathways for India’, the report argues that minimum-age rules must be accompanied by enforceable obligations on platforms, stronger regulatory capacity and safeguards built into the design of online services.
The findings come amid a growing debate over restricting children’s access to social media in India. Karnataka has announced a ban for children under 16, while Andhra Pradesh has proposed restrictions for those below 13. On 28 September, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to consider framing rules to regulate independent social media accounts of minors. The government told the court it would examine the issue.
According to the report, as of 30 September, some 57 jurisdictions worldwide are reviewing, proposing, adopting or enforcing age-based social media regulations. These are at different stages of policymaking, and not all of them have introduced bans.
Australia’s early lessons
Australia became the first country to enforce a nationwide minimum age of 16 for social media accounts when its law took effect on 10 December 2025. The law requires platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent children below 16 from holding accounts; parents cannot exempt their children from the restriction.
Platforms removed, deactivated or restricted around 4.7 million accounts believed to belong to under-16s by mid-December 2025, according to the report. However, early assessments show that the restrictions have not eliminated access.
Three months after the law took effect, under-16 account ownership fell from 52.4 percent to 42.1 percent, while overall platform use declined from 85.9 percent to 81.5 percent. The report points to weaknesses in age-assurance systems and concerns over the collection and retention of sensitive personal data. It says it is too early to assess the law’s long-term impact.
Other countries have adopted different approaches. Indonesia began enforcing restrictions on under-16 accounts on designated high-risk platforms in March 2026. Its framework combines age limits with platform risk assessments and other safeguards. Brazil, meanwhile, has brought a comprehensive digital law for children and adolescents into force, imposing obligations that extend beyond social media to include privacy protections, safety-by-design measures and risk management.
The report says these approaches reflect different ways of regulating children’s access and the risks created by digital services. It also compares regulatory models in countries such as China, Vietnam and the UAE, which have adopted different measures to protect children online.
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Gaps in India’s framework
The report identifies Article 21 and Article 15(3) of the Constitution as important foundations for protecting children’s privacy, dignity and welfare. India already has laws addressing several forms of online harm. The Information Technology Act deals with child sexual abuse material and obscene or sexually explicit content, while criminal laws cover offences such as stalking, intimidation and certain forms of non-consensual image-sharing.
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act also provides for protections relating to children’s personal data, including parental consent and restrictions on behavioural monitoring and targeted advertising. Relevant provisions of the data protection law are scheduled to commence on 13 May 2027.
The report, however, identifies gaps in dealing with risks arising from platform design. Features such as infinite scrolling, screen time, recommendation systems and engagement-driven interfaces can influence what children see and how long they remain online. These risks may not be adequately addressed by laws focused primarily on specific content or individual offences.
The report calls for platforms to provide stronger privacy protections by default, assess the risks to children before rolling out new features and curb design elements that encourage prolonged use. It also recommends age-checking mechanisms proportionate to the risks involved, with safeguards to limit the collection and storage of users’ personal data.
Consult children, strengthen regulators
The report recommends that India determine age limits based on evidence about child development and expert advice on child welfare, rather than directly adopting thresholds set by other countries. It also calls for assessing the impact of proposed rules on children’s rights, including the possibility that restrictions could limit their access to educational material, health information and peer-support networks.
“Meaningful consultation with children and adolescents should therefore form part of the policy-development process,” the report says.
It recommends strengthening regulators’ technical expertise, operational autonomy and financial resources, while clearly defining the responsibilities of different agencies. It also calls for better coordination among reporting channels and agencies dealing with child sexual exploitation and abuse material.
The report argues that protecting children online will require more than age-based restrictions. It calls for effective enforcement, safer platform design and greater accountability from digital services for the risks they pose to young users.
Aditya Edara is an alum of ThePrint School of Journalism, currently interning with ThePrint.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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