The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine a petition by an Indore-based school seeking restrictions on children’s use of social media platforms and sought responses from the concerned Union ministries.
The petition seeks a comprehensive and enforceable regulatory framework to protect children from risks associated with social media, including cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, exposure to harmful content, compulsive use and mental health problems. The petition comes amid a growing international push to restrict children’s access to social media. Several other countries have also been considering age-based curbs amid concerns over the impact of social media on children’s mental health, safety and development. The discussions have also centred on whether certain categories of accounts should be restricted rather than imposing a blanket ban. The plea comes weeks after the Supreme Court agreed to examine a related issue concerning the absence of guidelines to regulate the opening and maintenance of social media accounts by minors. The plea asks the court to declare that the failure to provide effective protection against online harms is arbitrary and unconstitutional, and to direct the Union government to frame, notify and implement a dedicated regulatory framework for children’s safety on social media platforms.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notice in the matter and listed it for further hearing on December 7. Australia became the first country to enforce a minimum age of 16 for accounts on designated social media platforms in December 2025, requiring companies to take reasonable steps to prevent younger children from accessing them. France, through a 2023 law, provided for parental authorisation for social media accounts of children below 15. In India, the Union government has been weighing similar restrictions, with the Economic Survey 2025-26 recommending age-based safeguards, including age verification and age-appropriate defaults on digital platforms. In February, Hindustan Times reported that the government was considering restricting access for children below 16 through amendments to the Information Technology Rules, while holding consultations with social media platforms. India’s existing Digital Personal Data Protection law provides for verifiable parental consent before the personal data of children below 18 is processed, but the country does not have a general statutory minimum age for accessing social media. Invoking Articles 14, 15(3), 21 and 21A of the Constitution, the petition contends that the State’s continuing failure to provide effective protection against foreseeable social media harms violates children’s fundamental rights. It also relies on the directive principles of state policy under Articles 39(e) and 39(f), which call for protection of children against abuse and exploitation and for opportunities to develop in conditions of freedom and dignity. On September 10, a bench headed by CJI Surya Kant sought the Centre’s response to a petition filed by a non-profit child rights body, observing that safeguards were needed to protect children online.
