If you’re planning to attend our roundtable, Age Verification and Restricting Social Media for Children on May 15, in Bengaluru, scroll down for a reading list that will help you prepare for this discussion. Please remember that you’re a participant in MediaNama’s discussions and not just there to listen. Your point of view matters to us.

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If you haven’t registered already, we recommend that you apply to attend the discussion.

• Date: Friday, 15 May 2026
• Time: 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM
• Venue: Hotel Royal Orchid, Domlur, Bengaluru. [Google Maps Link]

Note: This is an invite-only discussion held under the Chatham House Rule. Participation will be subject to approval.

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Essential Reads: 

• Why banning children from Social Media avoids the real problem [Read]
• The problem with the demand for app store age verification of children [Read]
• The Internet Isn’t Built For India’s Teens [Read]
• The ban on ‘digital childhood’[Read]
• Everyone Cheering The Social Media Addiction Verdicts Against Meta Should Understand What They’re Actually Cheering For [Read]
• UK survey finds nearly a third of children said they bypassed age verification checks, over a quarter of parents let them[Read]
• A Kid With a Fake Mustache Tricked an Online Age-Verification Tool [Read]

State and Center level plans: 

• Karnataka CM Proposes Social Media Ban for Under-16s: What Challenges Lie Ahead? [Read]
  Andhra Pradesh Considers Australia-Like Social Media Ban, Forms Ministerial Panel To Study Proposal [Read]
• Andhra Pradesh explores DigiLocker age tokens for social media curbs on children aged 13-16 [Read]
• Goa Mulls An Under-16 Social Media Ban, Studies Australia’s Law [Read]
• India Plans Three-Tier Social Media Restrictions Rather Than Complete Ban for Children Under 18: Report [Read]
• Indian Govt in Talks With Social Media Platforms on Age Restrictions [Read]
• Public Reaction: Karnataka Teen Social Media Ban: Citizens Online Agree On The Problem, Question If Ban Is the Answer [Read]
  

Understanding Australia’s social media ban:

• All you need to know about Australia’s plans to ban social media for teens and its age verification tech [Read]
• Australian eSafety Report Exposes Flaws in Social Media Age Controls [Read]
• Why Australia Now Requires YouTube to Ban Under-16s from Creating Accounts [Read]
• Teens Move High Court Against Australia’s Social Media Ban for Under-16s [Read]
• How Will Platforms Monitor VPN Usage When the Under-16 Social Media Ban Begins In Australia? [Read] 
• Australian govt investigating 5 platforms for non-compliance with teen social media ban [Read]
• Australia Warns AI Platforms, App Stores of Strict Action for Age Check Non-compliance [Read]
• Australia extends age verification rules to porn sites, AI chatbots, and adult games [Read]
• Australia to Test Roblox’s Child Safety Measures After Child Abuse Reports [Read]
• Meta TikTok And Snapchat Agree To Comply With Australia’s Social Media Ban, But Doubt Efficacy [Read]

Foreign Countries and their approaches: 

• United Kingdom: Parliament’s Lower House Rejects Social Media Ban for Children: Key Points From Debate [Read]
• Spain to Ban Social Media for Under-16s, Greece Considers Similar Move [Read]
• Turkey Proposes Social Media Ban for Children Under 15. Here Are the Countries Considering Similar Moves [Read]
• Pakistan Considers Banning Under-16 Users On Social Media [Read]
• Greece to ban social media access for under-15s starting 2027 [Read]
• Malaysia Joins Global Push To Restrict Under-16 Users On Social Media, Plans ID-Based Age Verification [Read]
• Germany’s Ruling Coalition Backs Social Media Age Limits for Children, Calls For EU-Wide Standards [Read]
• France lawmakers vote to ban social media use by under-15s [Read]
• Denmark plans to severely restrict social media use for young people [Read]
• EU Proposes on Social Media Age Restrictions for Children Under 16 [Read]
• Nepal’s  Ban on 26 Social Media Platforms And What It Means [Read]
• Explained: Nepal’s Social Media Bill Mandating Licensing, Removing Safe Harbor, And User Anonymity [Read]
• MediaNama Briefing on Nepal Social Media Ban [Read] & [Video]  

On age verification as a solution:

• Is age-verification the answer to protecting children from online harms?  [Read]
• What are the different age verification methods available and why are they problematic? [Read]
• Can we map a framework for verification? Varun Bahl on a model for proportionality  [Read]
• How India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Bill impacts children’s privacy and access [Read]
• What stakeholders think about the provisions for children’s data safety in the digital personal data protection bill, 2023 [Read]
• How the Draft Data Protection Rules 2025 Will Change Children’s Data Processing in India [Read]
• Age Verification Works Better For Age Bands Rather Than Exact Ages: Bureau CTO In Interview With MediaNama [Read]
• What is the difference between India and the UK’s age verification approaches? [Read]
• “No scientific evidence”: 438 scientists call for pause on age-based controls until benefits and risks understood [Read]
• EU Data Protection Board Suggests Tokenised Age Verification: Know All About It [Read]

On privacy and age verification issues in India:

• Indian government may propose age verification measures for real money games: Report [Read]
• Unique Identification Authority of India working on age verification through e-KYC [Read]
• India’s Child Rights Protection Body To Recommend KYC for Age Verification under Data Protection Act [Read]
• Age Verification Using Govt IDs Likely Under India’s Data Protection Rules: Report [Read]
• Data Protection for Children–Pathways towards Implementing Intentions of the DPDP Act [Read]
• India’s New Data Rules Exempt Real-Time Child Location Tracking From Parental Consent Mandate [Read]
• Empowering Young Minds: Rethinking Regulation of Behavioural Monitoring and Targeted Ads Under India’s DPDP Act [Read]
• India’s Data Protection Law Could Jeopardize Ad Revenue for Free-to-Play Games: Indian Game Developers [Read]
• European Commission New Age Verification Pushes Privacy-Friendly Framework — What India’s DPDP Act Can Learn [Read]

Essential Resources:

• Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 – [PDF]
• Australia Parliament’s Explanatory Memorandum on the Online Safety Amendment Bill — [PDF]
• Australia eSafety Commissioner – Social Media Age Restrictions [Read]
• Indonesia’s notice on restricting social media for under-16s — [PDF]
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Age Assurance Report (2025) [PDF]
• California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act. [PDF]
• EU Commission Digital Safety Act Child Protection Guidelines (July 2025) [Read]
• EU Age Verification Solution [Read]
• UK Ofcom Age Assurance Guidance [Read]
• Age Verification Providers Association’s US State Age Assurance Laws Tracker [Read]
• Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF) Age Verification Resource Page [Read]
• CEPA: Mapping the Spread of Child Safety Rules [Read]
• UK Online Safety Act Tracker  [Read]
• Yoti Facial Age Estimation White Paper (July 2025): [Read]
• UK Ofcom and Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Joint Statement on Age Assurance and GDPR: [Read] 
• UNICEF’s Childhood in a Digital World [Read]
• OECD’s Towards Digital Safety By Design For Children [PDF]
• Should social media be banned for children under 16? – UK Parliament committee discussion on Science, Innovation and Technology. [Video]
• Debate: Social media in children and young people – time for a ban? From polarised debate to precautionary action – a population mental health perspective on social media and youth well‐being [Read]
• Too young to scroll? Why governments are cracking down on social media age limits [Read]
• Drawing a line in digital spaces: Age-based restriction of social media [Read]

This is an invite-only discussion, so please apply to attend.

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• Registration does not guarantee attendance. In case you fit our mandate for the curated audience, we’ll send you a confirmation by May 14, 2026.
• Your contact information will never be shared with anyone outside of MediaNama.

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