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India is currently in discussions with social media companies about implementing age-based restrictions, following Australia’s lead in banning under-16s from popular platforms.
IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed ongoing discussions at the AI Impact Summit on Tuesday, highlighting the need for a global consensus on regulating age-based access to social media.
“This is something which has now been accepted by many countries that age-based regulation has to be there,” Vaishnaw said, addressing the growing concerns about children’s online safety.
The Indian government is exploring how best to implement such measures and is also focused on combating deepfakes, a rapidly escalating issue in online content manipulation.
Australia’s December move required platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat to remove accounts of young teens or face severe penalties.
Vaishnaw noted that India is considering similar steps, including stronger regulatory measures to protect users from manipulated content, particularly deepfakes, which he warned are becoming an increasingly serious threat.
“We need much stronger regulation on deepfakes,” he stated, emphasising the need for tighter oversight to safeguard children and society from these harmful digital alterations.
Last week, India also strengthened its regulations on artificial intelligence, mandating that social media platforms clearly label AI-generated content and comply with takedown requests from authorities within three hours.
The discussions signal a global push for stronger online protections, with India keen to follow suit to ensure the safety and security of its digital landscape.
