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Draft Rules Mandate Parental Controls and Age Verification for 13+ and Adult Content
The Union government proposes the Draft IT (Digital Code) Rules, 2026 to regulate obscenity and mandate age-based classification for all digital content. The proposal provides for parental controls for 13+ content and age verification for adult-only content, linked to online content compliance and enforcement.
Draft IT (Digital Code) Rules, 2026:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Proposed under Section 87(1) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, read with Sections 67, 67A, and 67B. |
| IT Act provisions | Sections 67, 67A, and 67B deal with publication and transmission of obscene, sexually explicit, and child sexual abuse material in electronic form. |
| Judicial | Aims to balance free speech under Article 19(1)(a) with reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2) on morality, public order, and decency, as directed by the Supreme Court. |
| Definition of “obscene content” | Borrows from the Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. |
| Definition of “obscene content” | Material that is lascivious, appeals to prurient interests, or tends to deprave and corrupt viewers. |
| Prohibited content | Prohibits content that promotes hate, misinformation, defamation, gender or child denigration, glorifies crime or violence, or uses explicit material—especially in children’s content. |
| Mandatory age-based classification | Compulsory age classification of all digital content. |
| Age categories | U (suitable for all ages), 7+, 13+, 16+, adult-only content, and specialised categories for professional audiences (e.g., doctors, scientists). |
| Mandatory display requirements | Each content item must display age rating and content descriptors (violence, sex, nudity, drugs, language, horror). |
| Parental controls | Mandates parental control mechanisms for content rated 13+ and above. |
| Age verification | Age verification systems for adult-only content. |
| Platforms mentioned | Compliance obligations on platforms, including OTT services and social media intermediaries. |
| Linkage with existing rules | All provisions of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 continue to apply alongside the new draft code. |
| Enforcement framework | Civil consequences for violations and increases regulatory accountability for Online Curated Content Providers (OCCPs). |