India’s annual Economic Survey has taken a strong swipe at social media platforms, branding their business models “predatory” and opening the door to age-based curbs on children’s access. A growing list of countries is rethinking how much access children should have to social media. “Platforms should be made responsible for enforcing age verification and age-appropriate defaults, particularly for social media, gambling apps, auto-play features, and targeted advertising,” he added. That scale makes India a prize market for social media companies. Canada, too, is moving closer, drafting a new online regulation bill that could introduce age-based limits, potentially setting a minimum age of around 14.

Source: The Telegraph January 30, 2026 09:33 UTC