The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the long-awaited draft of the rules for the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP) Rules on Friday (Jan 3), stating that children under the age of 18 will now be required to take parental consent for creating their social media handles.

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The draft rules have been released after Parliament approved Digital Data Protection Bill 2023.

DPDP draft rules

  • The parent’s identity and age will be verified by a voluntarily provided identity proof "issued by an entity entrusted by law or the government." 

  • A data fiduciary will adopt technical and organisational measures to ensure verified consent from the parents before using a child's data and will exercise due diligence in managing the process responsibly. 

  • Drafts of the rules proposed by the central government under the powers given in sections 40(1) and 40(2) of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (22 of 2023) are being published for the information of all persons likely to be affected on or after the date the Act comes into effect.

  • The data-collecting entity must verify that the person claiming to be the parent is an adult and can be identified as per any law currently in force in India.
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Also Read: 'You are under digital arrest': The cyber scam that shook India in 2024

More updates 

A provision includes the imposition of a penalty of USD three million on date fiduciaries—entities responsible for determining the purpose and means of processing personal data.

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The category of data fiduciaries will include e-commerce, social media, and gaming platforms.

The government seeks public feedback on the draft rules through the MyGov portal, and the last date for submission is Feb 18, 2025. 

"...notice is hereby given that the said draft rules shall be taken into consideration after 18th February 2025," the notification said. 

Also Read: Australia 'calls time' on social media, to ban use by children under 16: No parental exemptions

Click here to submit suggestions for the DPDP rules. 

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2090048

What is your opinion on the rules? Tell us in the comments.