Special Protection for Children Under 18

India's new data protection rules provide extra safeguards for children's personal information. Here's what parents, schools, and businesses need to know.

1What Counts as Children's Data?

Name, age, and date of birth

Email address and phone number

Photos, videos, and location data

School information and academic records

Device identifiers and IP address

Behavioral and activity data

Health and medical information

!Red Flags to Watch

Vague Data Collection

Company doesn't clearly explain what data they collect

No Proper Verification

Website just asks "Are you a parent?" without verifying

Excessive Tracking

Continuous location or activity monitoring beyond necessity

Unclear Data Sharing

Shares child data with unknown third parties

No Account Deletion

Cannot easily delete account or remove data

No Safety Features

Missing safety measures for children's accounts

For Parents: Your Rights

  • ✓Review all data collected about your child
  • ✓Request corrections to inaccurate data
  • ✓Withdraw consent and delete account anytime
  • ✓File complaints if rules are violated
  • ✓Nominate another guardian to manage accounts
  • ✓Rights of the child: assent where appropriate, readily understandable notice, minimal data collection (Rule 10(2))

Company Obligations

  • •Your grievance redressal mechanism (including for parent/guardian requests) must publish a timeline not exceeding 90 days (Rule 14(3))
  • •Make account deletion as easy as creation
  • •Stop processing immediately upon withdrawal
  • •Protect data with enhanced security measures
  • •Use verified parental consent only
  • •Ensure that your privacy notices include specific language for children and have a separate simplified version

Understanding Parental Consent & Verification

Complete guide to verifying parental consent and managing children's accounts

You must treat data of a child (under 18 years) with special protection. For collection, verifiable parental consent is required (Rule 10).

Companies CANNOT collect, use, or process a child's data without:

  • Permission from a parent
  • Verification that the person is actually a parent
  • If you rely on parental consent, you must verify that the consent-provider is an adult and is authorized by the parent/guardian

This applies to:

•App sign-ups
•Website registrations
•Social media accounts
•Gaming platforms
•Educational software
•Any digital service
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