Indian lawmakers are debating age restrictions on social media, with a proposed private member’s bill seeking to ban users under 16 in order to protect children’s privacy and safety online.
The move could significantly impact Big Tech, as India is the largest user market for platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, even though revenues per user remain relatively low.
The proposal would place responsibility on tech firms to enforce compliance, with potential penalties of up to 2.5 billion rupees or 5% of global revenue, amid growing global concern over online harms to children.
Indian officials are publicly debating the introduction of age restrictions for social media use, a move that could pose a fresh challenge to global technology companies operating in one of their largest and fastest-growing markets, as concerns mount worldwide over online harms to children, Bloomberg reported.
Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, a member of parliament whose party is aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, said he plans to introduce a private member’s bill in the coming months that would bar children under the age of 16 from maintaining social media accounts. The proposed legislation aims to strengthen data privacy protections and shield children and adolescents from online exploitation, Devarayalu said in an interview to Bloomberg.
Private member’s bills do not represent official government policy and rarely become law. However, they often serve as a catalyst for broader parliamentary debate. In recent months, officials at both the state level and within India’s finance ministry have also raised concerns about the potential negative effects of social media on young users.
Any move to restrict access to social media platforms in the world’s most populous country would represent a significant setback for companies such as Meta Platforms Inc., which owns Facebook and Instagram, Snap Inc.’s Snapchat, and Elon Musk’s X. Australia’s recent decision to block social media access for users under 16 has prompted similar discussions in several countries, and action by India would be the most consequential to date given the scale of its user base.
India is the largest market globally for several major platforms. Instagram and Facebook each have more than 400 million users in the country, according to DataReportal, a digital behavior research firm. Snapchat counts over 200 million users in India, making it the app’s biggest market worldwide, while X has more than 20 million users.
Although revenue per user in India is typically lower than in wealthier markets such as the United States, the country remains central to Big Tech’s long-term growth strategies. India is home to the world’s largest remaining pool of potential new internet users, with millions yet to come online.
Under Devarayalu’s proposed Social Media Age Restrictions and Online Safety Bill, responsibility for enforcing age limits would lie with technology companies themselves. Penalties for non-compliance could reach up to 2.5 billion rupees ($28 million) or 5% of a company’s global revenue, whichever is lower.
The proposal comes as governments around the world increasingly scrutinize the role of social media platforms in shaping young people’s mental health, privacy, and security.
