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The government has disabled public access to 50 OTT platforms over the last two years for displaying obscene content and violating provisions of the Information Technology Act and other laws, as it continues to strengthen measures for online safety, digital well-being and child protection, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government's policies are aimed at ensuring "an Open, Safe, Trusted and Accountable Internet for its users, including children." The ministry said recent amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 require social media platforms and other intermediaries to remove unlawful content within three hours of receiving an order from a competent court or a reasoned direction from the appropriate government or its authorised agency. It also highlighted the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which mandates parental consent for processing children's personal data and prohibits practices such as tracking, behavioural monitoring and targeted advertising directed at children. The government said the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 is another step aimed at addressing digital addiction and financial harm among the youth. Citing the Economic Survey 2025-26, the ministry said digital addiction has emerged as a serious public health challenge affecting children and youth, with impacts on cognitive development, academic performance, workplace productivity, mental health and financial well-being. To strengthen cyber awareness, the government said it has conducted 6,650 Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) workshops, reaching more than 11.37 lakh participants, including students, teachers, law enforcement personnel and government officials. It added that awareness initiatives are also being carried out through CERT-In, CBSE and NCERT to promote cyber hygiene and online safety, particularly among children. (ANI)
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