Centre plans 18+ rule for social media accounts
The Indian Centre informed the Supreme Court it will amend rules governing digital media to prevent children under 18 from creating social media accounts, according to a report by the Times of India. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, and counsel for NGO Just Rights for Children Alliance, H S Phoolka, concurred that agreements entered into by minors with social media intermediaries are void contracts and must be prohibited.
The Center stated they would make it mandatory for intermediaries to prevent minors from opening social media accounts. The issue arose during a hearing on a petition by the NGO, which expressed concerns over children's exposure to risks in the digital environment. Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana all agreed that social media platforms should restrict registration to individuals above 18 years of age, citing potential risks such as online grooming, sexual exploitation, and cyberbullying.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
