On July 31, a roundtable on Age Verification and Restricting Social Media for Children was held in New Delhi, where experts discussed the viability of mandating safety-by-design as an alternative to social media bans. The event focused on how platforms could implement safety features by default to protect younger users and reduce harmful content exposure, according to medianama.com.
Participants raised questions about practical safety measures, such as toggles to limit AI-driven content and controls to reset algorithms for children at risk of radicalisation. One speaker emphasized shifting from safety by design to safety by default, suggesting that opt-in features like location sharing and content access for under-18s should be disabled by default. Another highlighted that content moderation addresses symptoms rather than the root cause, advocating for regulating aggressive algorithms that push harmful content more forcefully than before, medianama.com reported.
The discussion reflects growing concerns about the role of algorithms in amplifying harmful online content, especially for minors. The approach contrasts with outright bans by focusing on platform design changes to create safer digital environments. This aligns with broader regulatory trends seeking to balance user protection with platform innovation. The roundtable also touched on technical solutions like zero knowledge proofs to verify age without compromising privacy, indicating a nuanced approach to digital safety.
The roundtable's insights contribute to ongoing policy debates in India about protecting children online. The event took place on July 31 in New Delhi, marking a significant step in exploring alternatives to social media restrictions while addressing algorithmic harms, as detailed by medianama.com.