PADI Welcomes Supreme Court Direction for Statutory Social Media Safeguards for Minors

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Mangaluru : PADI, an organization actively engaged in grassroots child protection work across Dakshina Kannada, has welcomed the Supreme Court’s direction instructing the Union Government to examine creating a statutory framework for social media platforms and digital intermediaries. The proposed guidelines aim to ensure full compliance with Indian laws governing minors, including enforcing the 18-year age threshold required for independently entering into contracts with online platforms.

Highlighting the significance of the ruling, the organization noted that this step could transform online child safety at a time when children face rising risks such as cyberbullying, sextortion, online sexual exploitation, grooming, and human trafficking. PADI functions as a regional partner of the Just Rights for Children (JRC) Alliance—the country’s largest network of child-rights NGOs across 782 districts—which filed the petition before the apex court seeking robust safety measures on digital platforms.

Commenting on the development, PADI CEO Renni Dsouza emphasized that enforcing platform accountability under Indian law is essential because unmonitored social media usage frequently exposes children to severe real-world harms and exploitation. The petition raised serious concerns regarding how minors are permitted to independently open accounts despite such agreements being legally void under Indian law, prompting the Centre to assure the court that the matter will be formally examined.