The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking a statutory ban on social media usage for children below the age of 13, stating that such an issue falls under the domain of policy-making. A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and Augustine George Masih made it clear that the matter should be addressed through legislative action rather than judicial intervention.
"It is a policy matter. You ask Parliament to enact the law," the bench remarked while addressing the counsel representing the petitioner. The decision effectively leaves it to the legislature to decide whether restrictions should be placed on social media access for young children. The plea was filed by Zep Foundation.
While disposing of the plea, it granted liberty to the petitioner to make a representation to the authority. The bench said if such a representation was made, the same be considered in accordance with law within eight weeks.
The plea sought directions to the Centre and others to mandate the introduction of a robust age verification system, such as biometric authentication, to regulate children's access to social media platforms. The petition also sought to implement strict penalties for social media platforms failing to comply with children protection regulations.
Man arrested for posting videos with illegal firearms on social media
Earlier on Thursday, a 23-year-old man was arrested for allegedly posting videos (reels) with firearms on social media, police said on Thursday. Acting on a tip-off, a police patrol team apprehended Amar Bahadur near Pusta Road in Burari area on Wednesday, they said.
During the investigation, officers recovered a country-made pistol, one live cartridge and two empty cartridges. Bahadur, a resident of Amrit Vihar, worked as a car cleaner and allegedly acquired the firearm from a friend to create social media content and gain followers.
(With PTI inputs)
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