The Madras High Court has suggested that the Central government should consider bringing a law similar to Australia’s, which bans children under the age of 16 from using social media. The court said such a law could help protect children from harmful content available online, especially on social media platforms.

The suggestion was made by the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). The PIL raised concerns about how easily children can access pornographic and inappropriate content on social media and the internet. The petition also asked the authorities to properly implement existing government directions, such as providing a “parental control” or “parental window” feature on devices and spreading awareness among children and parents.

The bench, consisting of Justice G. Jayachandran and Justice K.K. Ramakrishnan, referred to Australia’s recent decision to ban social media for children below 16 years of age. Australia became the first country in the world to introduce such a law on December 10. The decision has been welcomed by many parents and child rights organisations.

The petitioner, S. Vijayakumar, argued that India should also introduce a similar law to protect children. He said that along with legal restrictions, parents should be made aware of parental control tools available on devices. According to him, better awareness and proper use of parental controls can greatly reduce children’s exposure to harmful online content.

The High Court also pointed out that bodies like the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Tamil Nadu Commission for Protection of Child Rights have a legal duty to educate society about children’s rights and their protection. The court observed that while some awareness programmes are conducted in schools, they are not enough to tackle the growing risks children face online.

The bench noted that the Centre already has a system in place to block websites containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and such harmful URLs are regularly updated. However, the court stressed that blocking websites alone is not enough. There must also be control at the user’s end, which can be achieved through parental control apps on devices.

The court said parents, children, and other stakeholders must be made aware of the dangers of child pornography and the steps that can be taken to prevent it. Until a new law is passed, the court directed the authorities to speed up and strengthen their awareness campaigns and reach vulnerable groups through all forms of media.

The High Court expressed hope that both Central and State child rights commissions would prepare a clear action plan and implement it seriously to protect children from online harm.