Experts warn enforcement hurdles and privacy risks could undermine the move.
India is considering a sweeping change to its IT intermediary rules that would prevent anyone under 18 from opening social media accounts. If enacted, the country would join a growing list of nations- including Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the UK that have introduced similar restrictions in recent years.
The proposal comes amid mounting concerns about the impact of social media on young people’s mental health. The Economic Survey 2025-26 highlighted alarming levels of addiction among those aged 15-24, linking excessive use to anxiety, depression, low self‑esteem, and cyberbullying. Globally, the issue has also drawn attention. Earlier this year, Meta agreed to a massive settlement in the United States over allegations that Instagram and Facebook harmed children, though the company denied wrongdoing.
Cybersecurity experts argue that the risks are not hypothetical. Mukul Kumar, who has worked with families affected by online abuse, stresses that children are the most vulnerable participants in a system designed to maximize engagement rather than wellbeing. He warns that cyberbullying, long‑lasting digital footprints, and mental health damage are realities parents already struggle to manage.
Yet passing a law is only the first step. Enforcement remains the biggest challenge. India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023 already requires parental consent for processing minors’ data, but the infrastructure to verify age is not yet in place. Other countries’ experiences show the difficulty: Australia deleted millions of underage accounts, but most teenagers quickly found workarounds using VPNs or fake ages. Indonesia reported similar loopholes, with children entering false birthdates or borrowing adult IDs.
For India, the scale is unprecedented. With hundreds of millions of under‑18 users, experts caution that replicating smaller countries’ models will not be straightforward. Age verification mechanisms themselves pose risks. Linking identity data to social media accounts could expose minors to surveillance or data breaches. Kumar advocates for a system that verifies age once without storing sensitive information, while Sarthak Dubey suggests DigiLocker as a safer option that confirms age without revealing documents to platforms.
Ultimately, experts agree that while the intention to protect children is commendable, the real test lies in designing a privacy‑conscious, enforceable system. Without robust safeguards, a ban could push young users into less visible and potentially more dangerous- corners of the internet.
