Child Safety & Age-Appropriate Design Policy

Effective Date: 6th August 2025

This Child Safety & Age-Appropriate Design Policy (“Policy”) is issued by Lahar Networks Private Limited, a company incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013, bearing CIN U63112DL2025PTC452796, with its registered office at D-365, West Vinod Nagar, East Delhi, Delhi 110092, India. This Policy sets out the principles and safeguards adopted by the Lahar platform (“Lahar” or “Platform”) to ensure the protection of children and to design services in a manner that is age-appropriate and compliant with applicable laws.

1. Purpose

1.1 The purpose of this Policy is to safeguard children from harm, exploitation, and inappropriate content or interactions while using the Platform.

1.2 This Policy ensures compliance with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, the Information Technology Act, 2000, the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

1.3 This Policy also incorporates global child safety standards, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA – USA), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR-K – EU), and the UK Age-Appropriate Design Code.

2. Applicability

2.1 This Policy applies to all Users of the Platform, including Regular Users, Content Creators or Marketplace Operators, and Institutional Users.

2.2 For Institutional Users such as schools, colleges, or educational institutions, this Policy applies to all Super Admins, Admins, and Users managing accounts on behalf of children.

2.3 This Policy governs the use of the Platform by minors, defined as individuals under eighteen (18) years of age in India, or the applicable age of majority in their jurisdiction.

3. Parental Consent and Minor Access

3.1 Minors below eighteen (18) years of age may use the Platform only with verifiable parental or guardian consent.

3.2 The parent or guardian shall be deemed the contracting party and shall be responsible for all actions of the minor on the Platform.

3.3 For minors under thirteen (13) years of age, access shall be strictly limited and subject to compliance with international standards such as COPPA (USA).

3.4 Parents or guardians may at any time request access to, correction of, or deletion of the child’s data by contacting [email protected].

4. Protection of Children from Exploitation

4.1 The posting, sharing, or circulation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), sexually explicit content involving minors, or any form of child exploitation is strictly prohibited and constitutes a criminal offence.

4.2 In compliance with the POCSO Act, 2012, and the IT Rules, 2021, any such content detected shall be removed within twenty-four (24) hours of knowledge or notification.

4.3 Lahar shall immediately report such violations to law enforcement agencies, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), or other designated authorities as required under Indian law.

5. Age-Appropriate Design Principles

5.1 The Platform shall be designed to ensure that children are not exposed to harmful or age-inappropriate content, advertisements, or interactions.

5.2 Features such as privacy settings, content visibility, and communication controls shall default to the highest level of protection for minors.

5.3 Targeted advertising shall not be directed at children based on sensitive personal data, including health, location, or behavior, without explicit parental consent.

5.4 Gamification, nudging techniques, or manipulative design patterns that exploit the vulnerability of minors are strictly prohibited.

6. Data Protection for Minors

6.1 The collection, processing, and storage of personal data of minors shall comply with the DPDP Act, 2023 and relevant international child data protection laws.

6.2 Only data strictly necessary to provide services shall be collected, and such data shall not be shared with third parties except as required by law.

6.3 Parents or guardians shall have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of a child’s personal data at any time.

7. Reporting Mechanism

7.1 Users may report violations involving child exploitation, abuse, or age-inappropriate content through the in-platform reporting tool or by emailing [email protected].

7.2 All such reports shall be acknowledged within twenty-four (24) hours and resolved within seventy-two (72) hours, unless legal or regulatory authorities mandate immediate action.

7.3 Malicious or false reporting shall itself be treated as a violation of this Policy.

8. Responsibilities of Users

8.1 All Users must refrain from engaging in conduct that exploits, endangers, or harasses minors.

8.2 Content Creators and Marketplace Operators must ensure that advertisements, sponsored content, or products targeted at children comply with child-specific consumer protection standards.

8.3 Institutional Users operating on behalf of schools or organizations must ensure compliance with this Policy when managing accounts for children.

9. Enforcement

9.1 Violations of this Policy may result in immediate removal of content, suspension of accounts, reporting to authorities, and permanent termination of access.

9.2 Content Creators or Institutional Users found guilty of violations may have monetization privileges revoked, revenues withheld, and accounts terminated.

9.3 Lahar shall maintain audit logs and evidence of violations for at least five (5) years, as required under applicable Indian and international laws.

10. Updates to Policy

10.1 Lahar may revise this Policy periodically to reflect legal changes or improvements to child safety standards.

10.2 Users will be notified of significant changes via email or Platform notifications. Continued use of the Platform after updates shall constitute acceptance of the revised Policy.

11. Contact

For complaints, parental consent inquiries, or child safety concerns, please contact:

Lahar Networks Private Limited
D-365, West Vinod Nagar, East Delhi, Delhi 110092, India
Email: [email protected]