Story perspectives

India to bar under-18s from social media accounts

By Drooid · Sep 29, 2026, 4:00 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

India will amend IT Intermediary Rules to bar children under 18 from opening social media accounts.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court that contracts between minors and platforms are void.
Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked the Centre to embed the restriction in law.
The Centre agreed to make the restriction a statutory obligation for intermediaries.

History

Historical Context

In 1998 US Congress enacted COPPA, effective 2000, empowering the FTC to demand parental consent for users under 13. Following the FTC’s 2013 rule update, it fined Google $2.5 billion in 2022 for COPPA violations. Today India’s Supreme Court, hearing Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, urged the government to add an under-18 ban to its IT Intermediary Rules, mirroring the US model.

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Story summary

India will amend IT Intermediary Rules to bar children under 18 from opening social media accounts.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court that contracts between minors and platforms are void.
Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked the Centre to embed the restriction in law.
The Centre agreed to make the restriction a statutory obligation for intermediaries.

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