Madras High Court urges Centre to consider banning social media for children below 16
Chennai: The Madras High Court has asked the Union government to consider bringing in a law, similar to legislation in Australia, to regulate and monitor internet usage by children, citing the easy availability of pornographic and harmful content online.
The observation was made by a Division Bench of Justice G. Jayachandran and Justice K. K. Ramakrishnan while hearing a public interest litigation that raised concerns about children’s exposure to objectionable material on the internet. The Bench noted that children are particularly vulnerable in the digital space and that stronger safeguards are required to protect them.
The court observed that while adults may exercise personal choice in accessing online content, the responsibility of parents and authorities is much higher when it comes to children. It said awareness about the dangers of child pornography and other harmful online material must be significantly improved until a dedicated law is enacted.
In its order, the court said the Union government may explore the possibility of introducing legislation on the lines of Australia to address the issue. Until such a law is passed, the Bench directed authorities to intensify awareness campaigns and ensure that information reaches vulnerable groups through all available media platforms. It also expressed hope that both the State and Central Commissions concerned with child protection would prepare and implement a concrete action plan.
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The court was hearing a petition filed by S. Vijayakumar, who highlighted the growing internet usage among children and the increasing access to abusive pornographic content and harmful online games such as the Blue Whale challenge. The petitioner sought directions to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Tamil Nadu Commission for Protection of Child Rights to require internet service providers to offer a “parental window” that would allow parents to regulate and monitor the content accessible to their children.
The petitioner argued that a combination of awareness programmes and parental control tools on devices could substantially curb children’s access to harmful online material.
The Bench noted that child rights commissions have a statutory duty to promote child rights literacy and safeguards across society. While acknowledging that some awareness initiatives were already in place, the court said these efforts were insufficient given the scale of the problem.
The court was also informed that intermediaries conduct periodic reviews under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and that objectionable websites are blocked when brought to the notice of internet service providers. However, the judges observed that regulatory action alone was not enough and that effective control at the user end was equally necessary, which could be achieved through parental control mechanisms.
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Ruturaj scores unbeaten 67 as CSK beat MI by eight wickets
Chennai (PTI): Ruturaj Gaikwad struck his second successive half-century of the season as Chennai Super Kings cruised to a commanding eight-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.
Gaikwad remained unbeaten on 67 off 48 balls, stitching an unbroken 98-run stand for the third wicket with Kartik Sharma (54 not out) to comfortably chase down the target of 160 after Mumbai were stopped at 159 for seven.
Mumbai Indians' struggles continued as they only have two wins in nine matches, remaining on four points, while CSK climbed to eight points from nine games.
Earlier, MI's innings never quite gained momentum, with Naman Dhir the lone bright spot with a 57. He walked in after Will Jacks fell for one in the second over and added 40 runs for the third wicket with Suryakumar Yadav (21).
For CSK, left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad (2/26) was the pick of the bowlers, removing Ryan Rickelton (37) and Tilak Varma (5), while Anshul Kamboj (3/32) impressed with an effective spell.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 159 for 7 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 37, Naman Dhir 57; Noor Ahmed 2/26, Anshul Kamboj 3/32).
Chennai Super Kings: 160 for 2 in 18.1 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 67 not out, Urvil Patel 24, Kartik Sharma 54 not out; Jasprit Bumrah 1/20).
