Country profile

India age-verification & online ID laws

Proposed Age-verification proposal (Supreme Court direction; DPDP)

In 2025 India's Supreme Court declined to ban under-13s itself but directed the central government to propose age verification for social media; as of late 2025 no such law had passed.

Laws & bills on record

Social media

Proposed

Bill / statute: Age-verification proposal (Supreme Court direction; DPDP)
Status: Proposed bill (not yet law)

In 2025 India's Supreme Court declined to ban under-13s itself but directed the central government to propose age verification for social media; as of late 2025 no such law had passed. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act separately requires parental consent to process data of under-18s, with rules still being finalised.

Timeline

Sep 1, 2025Supreme Court directs government to consider age verification
Jan 1, 2026Proposed

Source: en.wikipedia.org

VPN restrictions

VPN use is legal, but a 2022 CERT-In directive requires VPN providers to collect and retain user logs for five years, prompting several no-log providers to remove their Indian servers.

Effective: 2022

Source: nordvpn.com

Digital ID

Aadhaar is the world's largest biometric digital identity system, covering well over a billion residents.

Effective: Since 2016

Source: uidai.gov.in

Frequently asked questions

Does India require age checks or ID to use social media?

Not yet -- a bill is pending. Age-verification proposal (Supreme Court direction; DPDP) is proposed. In 2025 India's Supreme Court declined to ban under-13s itself but directed the central government to propose age verification for social media; as of late 2025 no such law had passed.

Are VPNs restricted in India?

VPN use is legal, but a 2022 CERT-In directive requires VPN providers to collect and retain user logs for five years, prompting several no-log providers to remove their Indian servers.

Does India have a digital ID requirement?

Aadhaar is the world's largest biometric digital identity system, covering well over a billion residents.

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