Jio Platforms flags social media ban on minors as potential business risk
Jio Platforms, the digital arm of Reliance Industries Ltd, flagged social media bans on minors as a potential risk to its business in initial public offering documents filed on Friday.
“Any developments that restrict social media use, including by minors, or concern the online gaming industry or impose additional charges on data use, may impact customers’ data consumption,” the company said in its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP). This could have a negative impact on the company’s business, he added.
India, the largest user base of Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, has not banned social media for minors. In March, then Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah had suggested such restrictions for those below 16 years of age.
As of October 2025, Facebook had 403 million monthly active users in India, Instagram 481 million and YouTube 500 million, according to data from data analytics provider DataReportal.
In January, Australia became the first country to ban children under 16 from using major social media services such as Tik Tok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads. Finally, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on June 15 that he plans to ban social media sites aimed at those under 16 and impose restrictions on gaming and live streaming platforms by spring 2027. Other countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Spain and Malaysia, have taken steps or initiated plans to impose restrictions on social media for children.
The 2025-26 Economic Survey by the finance ministry noted that with mobile/internet use being almost universal among young people aged 15-29, access is no longer a binding restriction and it is necessary to focus on behavioral health issues such as increasing digital addiction issues, content quality, health impacts and digital hygiene. It was stated that young users are more vulnerable to compulsive use and harmful content.
Data privacy
“Platforms should be made responsible for enforcing age verification and age-appropriate defaults, particularly for social media, gambling apps, autoplay features and targeted advertising,” the survey said.
In March, experts had said that Karnataka’s decision was impractical because social media companies would have to collect more information than the minimum data sharing stipulated under data privacy to find out whether a potential user is of legal age.
According to Jio’s DRHP, India’s digital economy now contributes around 14% of gross value added. This is powered by video streaming, social media and digital payments. As of Q3 FY26, average monthly data usage per customer was 25.7 GB, exceeding levels in developed markets such as the US. This figure is expected to more than double to 59.2GB by FY31, the DRHP said.
Jio Platforms plans to raise capital through a fresh issue of 270 million shares.
