MediaNama invites you to apply for our invite-only roundtable discussion on ‘Age Verification and Restricting Social Media for Children’ in New Delhi on July 31, 2026.
Date: July 31, 2026
Time: 1 PM to 5 PM
Format: Roundtable Discussion
Venue: Viceroy Hall, The Claridges, New Delhi. [Google Maps Link]
Register here.
Note: This is an invite-only discussion so please apply.
Why is this discussion important?
Multiple Indian states are now drafting or proposing social media bans for children, following global trends, especially Australia’s Online Safety Amendment Act, which took effect in December 2025. These include:
- Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah proposed a ban for children under 16 during his 2026–27 Budget speech.
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has also proposed plans for a ban on children under 13.
- Goa is also examining similar measures.
- The Central government, meanwhile, is reportedly preparing a three-tier approach with different age brackets (8–12 years, 12–16 years, and 16–18 years), each with different restrictions.
Recent international developments have accelerated the debate. In June 2026, the United Kingdom announced a ban on social media platforms for users under 16, alongside additional restrictions on livestreaming and interactions with strangers for minors. The UAE also became the first Arab country to set a minimum social media age, prohibiting children under 15 from using social media and requiring platforms to implement age verification measures. Several other countries, including Indonesia, France, Denmark, Canada and Malaysia, have either announced or are considering similar age-based restrictions and verification requirements.
Sessions and topics
1. Why are we considering this? Understanding the concerns leading to restricting access to the internet and devices for children and challenges:
- Examining evidence on the impact on children: What are we optimising for?
- Access to knowledge and learning.
- International regulatory approaches and their implications, including lessons from Australia, Indonesia, and the Age Appropriate Design Code.
- Understanding what India can learn from international experience with age verification.
- Who decides what content or platforms are “harmful”? What is the evidence threshold?
- How do these measures affect children without alternative access to information or education?
- What don’t we know about harm and benefits?
2. How will this actually work? Technical implementation, models, and challenges
- Technical and practical issues with age verification mechanisms.
- Age verification models, their implications, and implementation challenges: Where should verification happen, and who should conduct it?
- False positives (blocking legitimate users) and false negatives (children getting through).
- Data collection and alignment of proposed plans with the DPDP Act.
- Understanding implementation for…
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