India is in talks with social media platforms over age-based restrictions, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed Tuesday, following global trends in Australia and France.
Speaking at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Vaishnaw emphasized the need for stricter regulations on deepfakes and protecting children online. “We are in conversation regarding deepfakes, age-based restrictions, and what is the right way to go about this,” he said.
Australia has required platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat to remove accounts of under-16 users, while France recently passed legislation to ban social media for under-15s, pending Senate approval. India’s remarks mark the first national-level signal that similar measures could be considered in the world’s most populous country.
Stricter AI Oversight and $200B Investment Plans
India recently tightened AI regulations, mandating that social media platforms label AI-generated content and comply with takedown requests within three hours. Vaishnaw highlighted that India expects over $200 billion in AI investments in the next two years, including $90 billion already committed.
The Adani Group also announced plans to invest $100 billion by 2035 in hyperscale AI-ready data centers, potentially catalyzing $150 billion more across cloud platforms, server manufacturing, and supporting infrastructure.
To boost computing capacity, the government has deployed 13,000 GPUs and plans to add 20,000 more within six months to support startups, researchers, and students.
Global AI Summit Spotlight
The five-day summit, hosted by India for the first time as a developing country, includes leaders like Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, and Bill Gates, discussing AI’s social, economic, and environmental impact.
Vaishnaw stressed the dual goals: safeguarding children and society from online harms, while advancing India’s ambition to become a global AI hub.
