Proposed bill seeks to restrict under-13 from making social-media accounts
What's the story
A proposed private member's bill, the Safeguarding Healthy Internet Environments for Little Digital-Natives (SHIELD) Bill, 2025, seeks to restrict children under 13 from creating accounts on social media and online gaming platforms without verified parental consent. The bill also prohibits platforms from tracking or targeting minors with personalized advertising. It was proposed by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Baijayant Panda but couldn't be introduced in Parliament on Friday due to adjournments.
Age verification
Mandatory age-verification systems, parental-control dashboards
The SHIELD Bill also calls for mandatory age-verification systems on platforms used by minors.
It seeks to introduce parental-control dashboards for guardians to monitor children's online activities, manage privacy settings, and restrict screen time.
The bill also seeks to protect children from exposure to pornography, gambling, violent or extremist material, and drug-related content.
Violating platforms could face penalties of up to ₹10 crore.
Repeated violations could lead to temporary suspension or blocking of services under Section 69A of IT Act.
Legislative challenge
AI regulation bill also proposed
The SHIELD Bill is one of two private members' bills scheduled for introduction in Parliament.
The second bill seeks to regulate the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) to create realistic imitations of people.
However, private members' bills have a low success rate in becoming law, with only about a dozen clearing Parliament since Independence.