The Indian government has identified AI-controlled toys as a serious threat to children's safety and is taking immediate action in consultation with relevant ministries.
Key measures include using the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 to provide special safeguards for children's data. This mandates verifiable parental consent before processing a child's data and prohibits tracking or targeted advertising directed at children.
Additionally, all toys must comply with national quality standards, and harmful content is regulated under existing IT and child protection laws. The government has also issued new rules to address risks from synthetically generated content.
Main Topics: Government action on AI toy threats, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act's safeguards for children, and existing toy quality and content regulations.
AI-controlled toys pose a serious threat to children's safety, and immediate actions are being taken in consultation with the consumer affairs and home ministries, Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday.
During the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, the minister said that the government has made provisions under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 to ensure children's safety.
"AI-controlled toys are a serious threat to the safety of children. All steps that are required for this are being taken in consultation with the consumer affairs and the home ministries. Whenever we receive reports of any incidents, immediate action is taken," Vaishnaw said.
Replying to a question by BJP member C M Ramesh, Vaishnaw said that the government recently issued rules to mitigate harm from synthetically generated content. "In the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, protection, especially for children, has been made," he said.
According to the written reply laid by the minister in the House, the DPDP Act provides special safeguards for the processing of personal data of children by mandating the verifiable consent of the parent or lawful guardian before processing any personal data of a child.
The rules prescribe operational mechanisms for obtaining verifiable parental consent, including through identity and age verification measures and the use of virtual tokens.
Furthermore, the act and accompanying rules prohibit tracking, behavioural monitoring, or targeted advertising aimed at children, Vaishnaw said.
"Toys in India must comply with the Toy Quality Control Order and BIS standards, while harmful or explicit content involving children is regulated under the IT Act, IT Rules and POCSO Act," he added.
During the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, the minister said that the government has made provisions under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 to ensure children's safety.
"AI-controlled toys are a serious threat to the safety of children. All steps that are required for this are being taken in consultation with the consumer affairs and the home ministries. Whenever we receive reports of any incidents, immediate action is taken," Vaishnaw said.
Replying to a question by BJP member C M Ramesh, Vaishnaw said that the government recently issued rules to mitigate harm from synthetically generated content. "In the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, protection, especially for children, has been made," he said.
According to the written reply laid by the minister in the House, the DPDP Act provides special safeguards for the processing of personal data of children by mandating the verifiable consent of the parent or lawful guardian before processing any personal data of a child.
The rules prescribe operational mechanisms for obtaining verifiable parental consent, including through identity and age verification measures and the use of virtual tokens.
Furthermore, the act and accompanying rules prohibit tracking, behavioural monitoring, or targeted advertising aimed at children, Vaishnaw said.
"Toys in India must comply with the Toy Quality Control Order and BIS standards, while harmful or explicit content involving children is regulated under the IT Act, IT Rules and POCSO Act," he added.
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