Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public praise of Australia’s social media law for teenagers has brought India’s own debate on age-based digital regulation into sharper focus. The issue is no longer only about platform self-regulation; it is about whether the State should impose enforceable limits on minors’ access to social media and related harms.
What happened
Modi commended Australia’s approach while speaking publicly to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The article says this has been read as a signal that India is considering similar curbs for minors.
The Australian law cited is the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, 2024. It requires social media platforms to identify and block access for children below 16 years of age.
Background and earlier position
India already regulates online intermediaries through the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. These rules are the current mechanism used to introduce regulatory requirements for online platforms, including requirements related to AI-generated images.
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