US EditionAge Regulation Is Necessary: India Moves Toward Social Media Limits for Children
India is considering age-based social media limits and stricter deepfake oversight to protect children, joining global efforts that include countries with bans for users under 16, officials said.
- Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Feb. 17, 2026 that India is discussing age-based restrictions and deepfakes with social media companies at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
- Last week, India tightened AI rules requiring social media platforms to label AI content and comply with takedown requests within three hours, as officials cited growing harms from deepfakes to protect children.
- Australia in December required TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat to remove accounts of under-16s or face fines, while any crackdown in India, country of over 1.4 billion people, could impact Meta and Google.
- While India has not yet decided, Ashwini Vaishnaw's comments are among the first from a top official, and he did not name specific social media platforms involved in ongoing talks.
- With Denmark and Spain approving age blocks, India joins a global trend as last week’s AI rules could shape social media platforms’ compliance obligations if age restrictions are enacted.
20 Articles
20 Articles
India holds talks with social media platforms on deepfake regulation and age-based restrictions: Vaishnaw
IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw calls for stricter deepfake laws, age-based restrictions, and fair remuneration for content creators to protect children and society online.
The Print
NewsDrumGovt in talks with social media platforms on age-based restrictions, issue of deepfakes: Vaishnaw
New Delhi, Feb 17 (PTI) The government is discussing issues of age-based restriction as well as deepfakes with social media platforms to determine the way forward, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday as he advocated the need for stronger regulations to protect children, and safeguard society at large from user harms. The minister […]
Times of India
The Economic TimesIndia govt discussing age restrictions with social media platforms
India is holding discussions with social media companies on age-based restrictions after Australia banned under-16s from popular platforms. IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said many countries now accept that age-based regulation has to be there. Talks also cover deepfakes and finding the right way to address these concerns.
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