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Asserting that Children's digital rights must carry enforceable safeguards, Vishva Hindu Raksha Parishad Mahila President Yamuna Pathak on Sunday said constitutional freedom and child protection advance together through proportionate age restrictions.
This comes following the SC ruling that internet access is a "fundamental right for children" and rejecting blanket age-based bans in favour of stricter parental controls. Speaking to ANI, Pathak flagged that when gaming takes control of a child's sleep, studies, and relationships, it becomes a serious mental health concern. "...Children's digital rights must carry enforceable safeguards against addiction and exploitation. When gaming takes control of a child's sleep, studies, and relationships, it becomes a serious mental health concern. Child psychologists and educationists must help shape these safeguards. Children's developmental needs deserve expert scrutiny," she said. Expressing concern over the children's lifestyle, the VHRP Mahila chief added that no platform profits should come before kids' healthy development. She added, "Constitutional freedom and child protection must advance together through proportionate age restrictions, mandatory safety controls and platform accountability. India's children need education, family bonds, and outdoor play. No platform profits should come before their healthy development." Earlier, the Supreme Court of India ruled that access to the internet is a fundamental right, extending this right to children as well. A bench of the apex court refused to impose blanket age-based restrictions on internet access, observing that such bans fail to keep children offline and instead drive them towards greater risks. While acknowledging concerns over online child safety, the top court stressed stricter parental controls and mandated child mode controls on social media platforms. Meanwhile on Friday, the Supreme Court sought the Centres response to a plea seeking a regulatory framework to restrict childrens access to social media platforms and protect them from online harms. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notice to the Centre and posted the matter for further hearing on December 7. The apex court was hearing a plea filed by Indore-based Emerald Heights International School and its Director, Siddharth Singh. The petition sought age-based restrictions on social media use, including a ban on access for children below a prescribed age. The petition sought a comprehensive policy to address risks such as cyberbullying, online grooming, sexual exploitation, exposure to harmful content and addictive platform design. It also flagged concerns over depression, anxiety, body-image issues, sleep disruption and the misuse of childrens personal data. The petitioners contend that voluntary safeguards and parental controls are insufficient to address these risks. They have also sought a declaration that the governments failure to put adequate protections in place violates childrens fundamental rights, including the rights to equality, life and personal liberty, and education.(ANI)
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