About the Event
As India moves closer to operationalising the Digital Personal Data Protection framework, the draft rules raise some of the most complex and consequential questions at the intersection of law, technology, childhood, and rights. Children today are not just passive users of digital platforms they are active participants in online ecosystems that shape their learning, socialisation, identity, and wellbeing. At the same time, they are uniquely vulnerable to data exploitation, surveillance, and design choices that may cause long-term harm.
This panel critically examined whether the DPDP Rules strike the right balance between protection and participation, between safeguarding children from harm and respecting their evolving capacities, autonomy, and digital rights. It explored key provisions such as verifiable parental consent, age thresholds, restrictions on behavioural monitoring, and the practical challenges of implementation in a country as diverse and unequal as India.