Majority of Parents Support Stricter Age Verification on Digital Platforms: Survey

New Delhi, February 26 – A recent survey conducted by online research firm LocalCircles has revealed that most parents support strict enforcement of age verification on digital platforms. The findings indicate that parents favor a mandate requiring platforms to either shut down accounts created by minors through age misrepresentation or seek parental consent for continued access.

The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act of 2023 already mandates that online platforms verify the age of children and obtain explicit parental consent before processing their data. However, the survey highlights that many parents believe children have bypassed these requirements by misrepresenting their age, as most platforms lack robust verification mechanisms.

According to the survey results:

• 88% of parents advocate for stricter DPDP rules compelling social media, OTT platforms, and online gaming services to identify and regulate minor accounts created with false age details.
• Only 4% of respondents support allowing children to continue using these platforms without age verification.
• 58% of parents believe digital platforms should analyze content consumption, uploaded material, profile information, and images to assess a user's actual age.

The survey, conducted between December 27 and February 23, gathered over 44,000 responses from parents across 349 districts in India. However, response numbers varied across different questions in the survey.

With growing concerns over children’s exposure to inappropriate content and online risks, parents are pushing for stricter implementation of the DPDP Act to ensure a safer digital environment for minors.