Social Media in India: The way of using social media and online platforms in India may change a lot in the coming times. A parliamentary committee has suggested that users’ accounts be linked to KYC i.e. identity verification and strict age verification be implemented. It has been said that this rule will be implemented especially on social media, dating and gaming platforms, where the incidents of misuse are continuously increasing.

What is included in the report?

This recommendation is part of the fourth report (2025-26) of the Parliamentary Committee on Women Empowerment which was recently presented in Parliament. This report covers not only KYC but also many issues like banning deepfake content, strengthening the digital forensic system, increasing international cooperation and helping the victims.

Nevertheless, the suggestion of making KYC mandatory is the most discussed, because it can affect crores of users.

Why is KYC considered important?

In today’s time, fake accounts, identity theft, online harassment and spreading false content are becoming common. In many cases it becomes difficult to reach the real person. In such a situation, if every account is linked to the real identity, then the wrongdoers can be controlled.

It can also speed up the resolution of complaints, which is often a very slow process at present.

Investigation will be done not just once, but again and again

The committee has also suggested that doing KYC just once will not suffice. Re-verification should be done from time to time and accounts on which complaints are received repeatedly should be identified. This will prevent users who repeatedly break the rules from coming back by creating new accounts.

Concerns about privacy and access

Although the purpose of this proposal is to increase security, there are some concerns associated with it. More data collection means threat to privacy, fear of data leak or misuse can also increase.

Apart from this, not everyone has the necessary documents due to which some people may be excluded from these platforms.

What could happen next?

At present these are just suggestions, they have not been implemented yet. But if the government moves forward on these, then the experience of the online world in India can completely change.

This step can be important towards increasing security and responsibility, but it will be equally important to strike a balance with it, so that both the privacy and access of the users can be protected.

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