The Supreme Court has directed the Central government to implement robust measures for the online safety of children. It also instructed the government to establish a strong system for the swift identification and removal of child sexual abuse material.
The court stated that children's rights to use the internet must be protected while also safeguarding them from online harassment. It observed that internet freedom and child safety are not mutually exclusive.
The Central government and digital platforms have been ordered to create an effective mechanism to quickly detect and remove obscene content related to child sexual abuse. The Supreme Court also suggested establishing a database of removed sexual abuse content.
The Supreme Court clarified that imposing a complete age-based ban on children's internet usage is not appropriate. It emphasized the need to protect children's rights while ensuring their safety online.