India treats all under-18 users identically under the DPDP Act, applying a flat 'child' definition. This single threshold contrasts sharply with BRICS peers like China, which caps daily app use by age group and enforces night mode. As India chairs BRICS 2026, its less-developed framework on children's online safety is a glaring omission from its priorities.
How We Got Here
The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, passed in August 2023, defines any user under 18 as a 'child' with no further age-based distinctions. India is set to chair BRICS in 2026, but its stated priorities omit children's online safety, despite other members having granular rules.
The Numbers
- Brazil requires social media accounts for under-16s to be linked to a legal guardian.
- China caps daily app use at one hour for under-16s and switches services off between 10 pm and 6 am for minors.
- Meta's $18 billion US settlement includes a $5.3 billion payment contingent on YouTube and TikTok adopting similar teen protections.
- Meta currently offers a two-hour daily cap and midnight-6 am Night Mode for under-18s; these would tighten to one hour per app and 10 pm-7 am if rivals comply.
What Happens Next
🇮🇳 Why This Matters for India
For parents and product managers in Bangalore building ed-tech platforms, India's flat age rule presents compliance ambiguities and limited protection benchmarks compared to global peers.
The Take
What's truly remarkable is Meta actively withholding stronger safety measures from its own users to leverage rivals, all while bypassing any legislative process. This sets a dangerous precedent where corporations, not lawmakers, dictate the floor for child safety through financial threats.
Source:
MediaNama ↗