'We Need Some Safeguards': SC Notice To Centre On Plea Seeking Parental Consent For Kids On Social Media

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea seeking safeguards for minors accessing social media and other digital platforms and to ensure that no such platform enters into a contract with a child below 18 years of age.

Centre issued notice on plea

A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notices to the Centre and others on a plea filed by NGO Just Rights for Children Alliance.

"We need some safeguards in India," the bench remarked orally while issuing notice.

Senior advocate HS Phoolka appeared for the NGO.

Content filtering concerns raised

The petition contended that despite strict penal provisions prohibiting the dissemination and storage of Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material, internet platforms have failed to deploy automated content-filtering tools and age-verification mechanisms.

The plea contended that platforms such as Facebook and Snapchat (India) permit users to create accounts from the age of 13 while Indian law treats persons below 18 as minors.

Parental consent sought

The petition sought directions to amend the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, or frame specific guidelines, to ensure that no digital platform enters into a contract with a child below 18 without the consent of the parent or lawful guardian, subject to identity verification/e-KYC of the parent or guardian.

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