Madras High Court asks Centre to consider Australia-like social media curbs for under-16s in India

The Madras High Court has suggested that the Centre consider enforcing a law to restrict social media use for children under 16, similar to Australia’s recent move to ban minors from accessing social media platforms.

Madras HC asks Centre to ban children from using social media 

As reported by News18, Justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan made the plea while hearing a PIL seeking directions to internet service providers (ISPs) to offer parental control or “parental window" services, citing the easy availability of pornographic content to young children.

“The central government can consider enacting a law similar to Australia’s social media ban. Until such a law is passed, authorities must strengthen awareness campaigns and ensure they reach vulnerable groups through all available media," the bench said.

The petition was filed by S Vijayakumar from Madurai district in 2018, about the easy access to pornographic content and urging the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the Tamil Nadu Commission for Protection of Child Rights to exercise their powers to direct ISPs to provide parental control systems and conduct awareness programmes.

During the hearing, the senior counsel representing the petitioner referred to Australia’s recent decision to ban social media use for under-16s and suggested that India consider a similar approach.

“It is the statutory duty of the commission to create awareness about children’s rights across all sections of society and to inform them about safety mechanisms available for protecting these rights. While some awareness programmes are conducted in schools, they are insufficient," the court observed.

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