Children under 18 must obtain parental consent to create social media accounts: Draft guidelines
Children under 18 must obtain parental consent to create social media accounts: Draft guidelines
The draft rules of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act reaffirm that children under 18 will require parental or guardian consent to access social media platforms. Introduced in the DPDP Act passed in August 2023, this provision lacked clarity on verification methods, which the new draft rules aim to address.
The proposed rules, open for public feedback until February 18, suggest verifying a child’s age using a government-issued ID or a token authenticated by a Digital Locker service provider.
An example outlined in the draft explains the process: If a child (C) wants to create an account, the platform, referred to as the Data Fiduciary (DF), must verify parental consent. The parent (P) would identify themselves as a registered user with verified identity and age details. The DF must confirm the reliability of the parent’s identity before processing the child’s data.
Since 2023, the Act’s provisions on children’s data have sparked debates. Tech giants like Meta and Google have advocated lowering the legal age threshold from 18 to 14, arguing that the current definition poses challenges for platforms targeting teenagers. Despite industry pressure, the government has retained the age limit of 18 in the draft.
The DPDP Act aims to enhance children’s data protection but raises concerns about implementation and compliance for digital platforms. Public feedback on the draft rules will play a pivotal role in shaping the final guidelines.
