Key Points
The government is mulling over a concrete "risk-based" framework with various criteria for social media and internet platforms to ensure a document-based age-gating and appropriate parent consent system, people aware of the matter told the Economic Times..
The risk-based age-gating framework is expected to be implemented by social media platforms like Meta-owned Facebook, Instagram and Google's YouTube, along with all edtech and health platforms, the report further added..
In the new framework, age verification for minors is expected to be done using document stores in DigiLocker, Aadhaar-based verification, A Digital Token or the App Store level, according to a government official, as quoted by ET. ..
"Social media companies will need to adhere to stricter age-gating as the possibility of a stranger getting in touch with children or vice-versa is much greater here, compared to say, an education app or a website."..
This is one of the reasons that the government is bringing age gating to mandate the verification of social media users' ages in India," said Jiten Jain, Cyber Expert and director of Voyager Infosec..
