IT Ministry Proposes Parental Consent for Children on Social Media

In an interview with The Times of India, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, S Krishnan said that the draft rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) law require "verifiable consent" from parents for children to join social media platforms. He dismissed the idea of adopting Australia’s model of banning access for those under 16, citing the need for societal consensus. While compliance by Big Tech in removing harmful content has significantly improved, cyber fraud, causing losses worth billions of dollars, remains a concern.