India’s debate on restricting children’s access to social media comes as several countries are introducing age-based measures. Australia has restricted social media accounts for under-16s, the UK is preparing similar measures, and the EU is considering a framework combining age limits with restrictions on addictive features. In September 2026, the Centre also indicated that it would amend the IT Rules to prevent under-18s from opening social media accounts. 

The experience of these measures raises questions around enforcement, circumvention and privacy. In Australia, although the proportion of under-16s with social media accounts fell from 52% to 42%, around 82% continued to use social media in some form. Children have reportedly shifted to alternative accounts, smaller platforms, gaming and messaging services, while VPNs provide another route around restrictions. Age-assurance technologies also remain imperfect, making implementation at scale difficult. 

For India, these questions are particularly relevant given its scale and digital diversity. With around one billion internet users and significant gender and rural gaps in access, restrictions could have uneven effects. At the same time, concerns around harmful content, cyberbullying, digital addiction and adolescent wellbeing are growing, while the DPDP Act, IT Rules and POCSO already provide a substantial child-protection framework. 

The regulatory focus is also increasingly shifting towards how platforms are designed, including infinite scroll, autoplay, notifications and personalised recommendations. The recent Meta settlement with US states, worth up to $16.68 billion, includes age-assurance requirements, time and overnight restrictions, non-personalised feeds and independent auditing, adding a significant new dimension to the policy debate. 

The central policy question for India is therefore how to balance child safety, enforceability, privacy and continued access to the benefits of the digital environment.