Sat Jan 04 04:24:00 UTC 2025: ## India Proposes Stricter Child Online Safety Rules, Requiring Adult Consent for Social Media
**New Delhi, [Date]** – India has proposed new digital data protection rules that mandate parental or guardian consent for children to open social media accounts. The draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, released Friday by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), require verifiable consent from adults before any child’s personal data can be processed. This means parents or guardians will need to actively confirm their permission, not just provide implied consent.
The draft rules, open for public feedback until February 18th on mygov.in, also outline significant consumer data protection measures. These include the right for users to demand data deletion, increased transparency from companies regarding data collection practices, and the right to know why their data is being collected. The rules also stipulate hefty penalties, up to ₹250 crore (approximately $30 million USD), for data breaches.
The proposed regulations provide detailed definitions for key players in the digital landscape, including e-commerce entities (excluding individual sellers on marketplace platforms) and online gaming and social media intermediaries. The government aims to strengthen online safety, particularly for children, through these new measures. The public is encouraged to submit feedback on the draft rules before the February 18th deadline.
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