India's Kid-Tech Rules: Balancing Privacy, Innovation & Consent

• India's new DPDP Rules require verifiable parental consent (VPC) for processing minors' data, marking a significant regulatory change.
• The rules adopt a flexible VPC framework, moving from strict ID verification, but self-declaration may be insufficient given India's digital literacy.
• The article proposes a tiered, risk-based parental-consent system, similar to the UK's AADC, to balance protection with innovation.
• It advocates for privacy-preserving tools like zero-knowledge age attestations and increased digital literacy for effective implementation.

Why It Matters: India's new child data rules redefine online safety and tech industry practices.