A proposed private member’s bill could introduce stricter safeguards for children using social media and online gaming platforms in India. The Safeguarding Healthy Internet Environments for Little Digital-Natives (SHIELD) Bill, 2025, proposed by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, seeks to bar children under 13 from creating accounts on social media and gaming platforms without verified parental consent. The bill also proposes mandatory age-verification systems for platforms accessible to minors and parental-control dashboards that would allow guardians to monitor online activity, manage privacy settings and restrict screen time.

The proposed Bills seek parental consent for children under 13 on social media and penalties for misuse of AI-generated deepfakes. | India News

As per the proposal, children under the age of 13 could be barred from creating accounts without parental consent along with limits on personalised advertising. | India News