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Politics
BJP MP Introduces Shield Bill to Ban Under‑13 Social Media Accounts
✍️ The Hindu
🗓 10 Aug 2026, 10:39 AM
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MP Baijayant Panda has tabled the Shield Bill 2025, which would prohibit children under 13 from creating social media or online gaming accounts without verified parental consent and require intermediaries to offer parental control dashboards.
MP Baijayant Panda of the Bharatiya Janata Party has introduced the Safeguarding Healthy Internet Environments for Little Digital‑Natives (Shield) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha. The private bill seeks to regulate the digital footprint of children by setting a minimum age for account creation on social media and online gaming platforms.
Under the Shield Bill, any child below the age of 13 would be prohibited from opening an account on any social media or gaming platform without verified parental consent. Additionally, the bill mandates that all intermediaries—such as social media companies and game developers—must provide dashboards that allow parents to monitor and control their child’s online activities.
The legislation aims to curb exposure of young users to inappropriate content and to give parents more authority over their children’s digital interactions. If passed, the Shield Bill would become a significant regulatory step in India’s ongoing efforts to protect children in the digital age.
Under the Shield Bill, any child below the age of 13 would be prohibited from opening an account on any social media or gaming platform without verified parental consent. Additionally, the bill mandates that all intermediaries—such as social media companies and game developers—must provide dashboards that allow parents to monitor and control their child’s online activities.
The legislation aims to curb exposure of young users to inappropriate content and to give parents more authority over their children’s digital interactions. If passed, the Shield Bill would become a significant regulatory step in India’s ongoing efforts to protect children in the digital age.