Delhi High Court directs Indian government to consider social media ban for children under 13

The Delhi High Court has directed the Indian Central Government to consider a public interest litigation seeking strict guidelines to curb social media access for children. The plea requests a total ban on social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat, for children under 13 years of age. Additionally, it proposes implementing overnight curfews on social media access for adolescents aged 13 to 16 to protect their psychological health.

The petition calls for stricter enforcement of existing laws, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. It also seeks oversight of social media intermediaries to ensure privacy policies for minors are properly implemented.

In response, the Central Government stated that the requested relief falls within the domain of policy. The court has instructed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to consider the petition and suggestions, with the liberty to hold hearings with petitioners. Meanwhile, state-level actions are emerging, with Karnataka proposing bans for those under 16 and Andhra Pradesh setting timelines to restrict access for children under 13.