The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights on a petition seeking an enforceable framework to protect children from risks linked to social-media platforms. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant issued notices to the ministries of women and child development and law and justice, along with the NCPCR.
The petition, filed by an Indore school and its academic director, cites grooming, sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, age-inappropriate content, behavioural profiling and designs that encourage compulsive use. It seeks age verification, age-appropriate access controls, verifiable parental consent and possible age-based restrictions. These are submissions in the petition, not findings by the court.
The matter has been tagged with a pending petition and listed for December 7. The court has not decided whether any proposed restriction should be imposed. The Centre’s response and the eventual scope of the proceedings remain to be seen.