Will social media be banned for children in India like in Australia? Madras HC advises the Centre:

News Topical, Digital Desk : Australia has become the first country in the world to completely ban internet media for children under the age of 16. Discussions are now underway to implement this in India as well.

In fact, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has suggested to the Central Government to explore the possibility of bringing a law on the lines of Australia, in which the use of social media platforms should be completely banned for children below 16 years of age.

It should be noted that S. Vijayakumar of Madurai district filed a public interest litigation in 2018. He expressed concern that pornographic material was readily available and accessible to young children. He urged the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Tamil Nadu Commission for Protection of Child Rights to exercise their authority to direct internet service providers to raise public awareness.

He argued that pornographic and child sexual abuse material is easily available on the Internet and is reaching minor children, thus endangering the mental and emotional development of children.

Control is essential...

During the hearing, the High Court stated, "We understand that websites and URLs containing online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) are constantly updated and active. However, user-end control is essential. This control is only possible through a parental control app or feature. This requires educating end users about the dangers of child pornography and how to prevent it."

The Madras High Court has suggested that the Central government may explore the possibility of enacting a law similar to the one passed by the Australian government, which bans the use of social media by children below 16 years of age.

As an interim relief, the High Court directed that until such a law is enacted, the concerned authorities should make the awareness campaign more effective.