Peeved over the rising incidents of social media abuse and the use of various social media platforms by children, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is developing comprehensive guidelines on Safe and age-appropriate use of Social media by children.
The initiative assumes significance in view of the increasing use of digital platforms by children and concerns relating to exposure to harmful and age-inappropriate content, cyberbullying, online grooming, Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM), privacy violations and other forms of online exploitation. These concerns highlight the need for stronger safeguards, greater awareness and enhanced accountability of digital platforms.
Through this initiative, NCPCR, which is a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, aims to develop a comprehensive and practical framework to promote responsible digital access and strengthen the accountability of digital platforms in safeguarding children.
Sources in the Government said the draft guidelines will be released in the first week of December and opened for public consultation. In this regard, a high-level meeting of WCD officials, NCPCR officials and stakeholders like Meta, Google, Snapchat, etc. was held on Thursday.
Sources said NCPCR held a final stakeholder meeting with representatives of social media and online gaming platforms as part of its ongoing initiative to formulate comprehensive advisory guidelines on the Responsible, Safe, and Age-Appropriate Use of Social Media by Children. “NCPCR remains committed to protecting the rights, safety and dignity of every child and ensuring a safe, responsible and age-appropriate digital environment,” said an official.
The meeting focused on reviewing the child safety measures already adopted by digital platforms and deliberating on the recommendations in the Child Safety Implementation Matrix.
The participating platforms shared their inputs on each proposed child safety safeguard under three heads: measures already implemented, plans for implementation and any other comments.
They also made brief presentations highlighting their existing child safety measures, awareness initiatives for children, parents and caregivers, and planned initiatives to further strengthen online safety.
NCPCR held its first meeting with social media platforms and technology companies in May 2026 to deliberate upon existing child safety mechanisms, content moderation, reporting and grievance redressal systems, prevention of online exploitation and awareness measures. Another round of consultation was held with these tech companies on an individual basis. Subsequently, NCPCR consulted with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in July 2026 to obtain their recommendations and suggestions on strengthening online safety and protection of children.
These inputs were examined and consolidated into a Child Safety Implementation Matrix. The matrix included principles such as Safety by design, Age assurance and age-appropriate experience, Child data protection, CSEAM detection and enforcement, Anti addictive design and digital wellbeing, Reporting and time-bound redressal, Empowerment of children and parents, etc.