India Supreme Court Seeks Government Response on Social Media Safety

The Supreme Court of India issued notices to the central government and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights on Friday regarding a Public Interest Litigation seeking a national regulatory framework to protect children from social media risks. The petition, filed by Emerald Heights International School and its Director of Academics, Siddharth Singh Girnar, argues that current self-declared age limits of 13 on social platforms conflict with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023, which defines children as anyone under 18.

The petitioners claim that children face increased exposure to grooming, sexual exploitation, cyber-bullying, and mental health issues such as anxiety and sleep deprivation. The plea requests the implementation of mandatory age verification, verifiable parental consent, and age-based restrictions on account creation to combat compulsive-use design. Alternatively, the school asks the government to enforce strict restrictions on children's use of these platforms.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to the ministries of law and justice and women and child development. The court has scheduled further hearings for December 3 and December 7 to review the government's response to the claim that current failures to protect children violate the Constitution.