NHRC Chairperson, Justice V. Ramasubramanian, emphasises the need for discussions on protecting children from harmful content and over-exposure to social media
NHRC Member, Justice (Dr.) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi says the use of technology may not be ignored in a highly tech-driven world
Secretary General, Shri Bharat Lal, highlights the need for a balanced approach, keeping in view the advantages and disadvantages of social media
Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, shared the social concerns and government’s initiatives to ensure that the digital space is regulated to address these concerns
Discussion covers benefits, risks, ban vs regulation and the need for a clear definition of social media and evidence-based decisions
NEW DELHI, MARCH 18, 2026: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India, organised an Open House Discussion on ‘Access to Social Media by Children’ in hybrid mode at its premises in New Delhi. NHRC Chairperson, Justice V. Ramasubramanian, chaired the meeting which was attended by Member, Justice (Dr.) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi; Secretary General, Shri Bharat Lal; Secretary MeitY, Shri S. Krishnan; Director General (Investigation), Smt. Anupama Nilekar Chandra; Registrar (Law), Shri Joginder Singh; Joint Secretaries, Shri Samir Kumar, Smt. Saidingpuii Chhakchhuak; along with senior government functionaries from the centre and state governments, statutory bodies, members of academia, domain experts, UN organisation and representatives of civil society organisations.
The discussion was organised in the backdrop of concerns regarding children’s excessive use of social media and the inadequacy of child protection safeguards against harmful contents,growing among parents, educators and policymakers in India and worldwide. Globally, increasing concerns about children’s safety online have led several countries to introduce or consider bringing age-based restrictions and stronger accountability measures for social media platforms, as seen in recent legal developments in Australia. Keeping in mind the wellbeing and the rights of children, the National Human Rights Commission, India reached out to stakeholders to deliberate on a key question: Can similar age-based restrictions protect children online without excluding them from the benefits of social media?
In this context, the NHRC, India Chairperson, posed three questions to the participants. First, whether children’s access to social media needs to be banned or only regulated up to a certain age. Second, who should do it, whether the State Legislature or the Parliament. Third, a threshold to which extent social media access to children can be curtailed. He said that India, by far, has been a country with the best possible laws in the world,
but implementation has also been a matter of concern. Therefore, the country must look for enforceable and practical solutions to the problem. The law should also be uniform throughout the country to ensure effective implementation.
He further said that while discussions focus on digital devotion, digital hygiene and digital addiction, there are no discussions about digital discipline. He urged the experts to suggest ways to make enforcement more effective.
During the discussion, NHRC Member, Justice (Dr.) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi said that it may be best to regulate access instead of banning social media. He said, given the technology-driven world we live in, we may not deprive our children of the benefits of technology. He emphasised the need for a uniform central law to ensure equal digital opportunities and protections for children across all geographical and socio-economic backgrounds.
Earlier in his opening remarks, NHRC Secretary General, Shri Bharat Lal gave an overview of the three technical sessions of the discussions i.e. i.) ‘Understanding the positive and negative impacts of social media on children’, ii.) ‘Assessing the Indian regulatory framework’ and iii.) ‘Evaluating age-based restrictions/ ban on access to social media for children.’ He said that there are both advantages and disadvantages of social media. India has a sizeable number of children using smartphones with access to social media. He quoted the Annual Status of Education Report 2024 that in the 14-16 age group, 76% children use smartphones to access social media, while 57% use them for educational purposes. He noted that social media is also being used for cyberbullying, data privacy-related exploitations, sexual abuse of children and cyber frauds. He, therefore, called for a ‘balanced approach’ in dealing with the issue of children’s access to social media and requested the experts to deliberate on the theme from a holistic perspective. He also spoke about privacy as well as children’s overall health, especially mental health, in the digital era.
About the Author
