The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday hit up the Union government, issuing it a notice and seeking its response on a plea which sought stronger safeguard to shield children from Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM) on online platforms. 

A bench comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi served a notice to the Centre and sought its response within four weeks. During the hearing, the Justice also underlined the need for stronger digital protection for children, observing the firewalls are necessary for kids. 

The NGO named ‘Just Rights for Children Alliance’ filed the petition through Senior Advocate HS Phoolka. It seeks measures to ensure that children are better protected from the risks hovering over the digital ecosystem, including social media and other digital platforms. 

Plea seeks stronger parental safeguards

The petition pointed out that platforms, including Facebook and Snapchat in India, allow users to create accounts from the age of 13, whereas anyone below 18 is treated as a minor according to the Indian Constitution.

Against the backdrop of the same, the petitioner has sought directions to amend the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code( Rules, 2021, or frame dedicated guidelines to address the issue. 

One of the key demands highlighted in the petition is that digital platforms should not enter into contacts with children below 18. It sought mandatory safeguards under which minors allowed to access digital platforms must do so by means of a legally recognised mechanism involving a parent or a lawful guardian. 

The petition also stated that such involvement could include verification or e-KYC of the parent or the guardian, with the level of verification being proportionate to the nature and potential risks linked to the digital service. 

Children under multiple online threats

Notably, the plea, filed under Article 32 of the Indian Constitution in public interest, seeks enforcement of the fundamental rights of children below 18. 

It contends that the absence of an effective and uniform mechanism to impart practical effect to the legal incapacity of minors to enter into certain contracts in the digital environment leaves kids prone to several foreseeable dangers. 

These include online grooming, sexual exploitation, trafficking, behavioural profiling, personal data’s misuse, cyber-bullying and exposure to age-inappropriate content. The matter also concerns the compliance of social media intermediaries with mandatory reporting and due diligence obligations under the Information Technology (IT) Act and the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. 

Meta faces scrutiny over CSAM content

The petition comes amid heightened scrutiny of major social media platforms over the alleged propagation and promotion of child sexual abuse material. 

Meta, which leads Facebook and Instagram, recently faced allegations concerning advertisements carrying child sexual abuse material in several countries, including India. The Washington-based Tech Transparency Project (TTP) said it identified 332 adverts possessing CSAM on Facebook and Instagram, with the majority reportedly deployed in August 2026. 

The government has also taken a stern view of the issue, ordering Meta to remove advertisements and content promoting CSAM. Meanwhile, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has moved to begin a detailed inquiry.