Chennai, 26 December (H.S.) : The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has recommended that the Union Government consider framing legislation to regulate internet usage by children, drawing inspiration from a recent Australian law that prohibits children under 16 from holding social media accounts.

A division bench comprising Justice G Jayachandran and Justice K K Ramakrishnan made these observations while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation filed in 2018. The petitioner, S Vijayakumar, had expressed serious concern over the easy availability and accessibility of pornographic content to young children on the internet.

During the proceedings, the counsel for the petitioner referred to the landmark legislation enacted in Australia, which imposes heavy penalties on social media companies that fail to prevent minors from using their platforms. The court noted that while certain awareness campaigns exist in schools, they are currently inadequate to deal with the scale of the issue.

The judges emphasized that until a formal law is enacted, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the State Commission must draw up a robust action plan to create awareness about safe internet usage.

The bench further stated that while adults have an individual choice regarding the material they access, children remain highly vulnerable to the menace of child pornography and harmful online content.

The court underscored that parental responsibility is paramount and recommended the compulsory use of parental control applications on devices used by minors.

Disposing of the petition, the court expressed hope that authorities would implement these suggestions in letter and spirit to safeguard the well-being of the younger generation.

Under the suggested Australian model, social media giants would be legally obligated to take reasonable steps to verify user ages, shifting the burden of compliance from parents to tech corporations.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has recommended that the Union Government consider framing legislation to regulate internet usage by children, drawing inspiration from a recent Australian law that prohibits children under 16 from holding social media accounts.

A division bench comprising Justice G Jayachandran and Justice K K Ramakrishnan made these observations while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation filed in 2018. The petitioner, S Vijayakumar, had expressed serious concern over the easy availability and accessibility of pornographic content to young children on the internet.

During the proceedings, the counsel for the petitioner referred to the landmark legislation enacted in Australia, which imposes heavy penalties on social media companies that fail to prevent minors from using their platforms.

The court noted that while certain awareness campaigns exist in schools, they are currently inadequate to deal with the scale of the issue.

The judges emphasized that until a formal law is enacted, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the State Commission must draw up a robust action plan to create awareness about safe internet usage.

The bench further stated that while adults have an individual choice regarding the material they access, children remain highly vulnerable to the menace of child pornography and harmful online content.

The court underscored that parental responsibility is paramount and recommended the compulsory use of parental control applications on devices used by minors.

Disposing of the petition, the court expressed hope that authorities would implement these suggestions in letter and spirit to safeguard the well-being of the younger generation.

Under the suggested Australian model, social media giants would be legally obligated to take reasonable steps to verify user ages, shifting the burden of compliance from parents to tech corporations.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary