SC Orders Central Government to Submit Report on Pornography on Social Media & OTT

National News: The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Central Government and the major social media companies while hearing this in the case of pornographic and objectionable content on social media and Over the Top platforms in India. A petition was filed on the matter, demanding strict steps to prevent obscenity on these platforms.

Notice to central government and major platforms

Apart from the central government, the Supreme Court has issued notices to major social media and OTT platforms such as Netflix, Owl Digital, Alt Balaji, Twitter, Meta Platform (Facebook), and Google. The hearing is being done to ban obscene and objectionable content, which is negatively impacting children and youth.

What was in the petition?

In the petition, some other people including former Information Commissioner Uday Mahurkar took up the matter in the Supreme Court. It was demanded in the petition that the Central Government should constitute a National Content Control Authority (NCCO), which monitored the pornographic content on social media and OTT platforms. In addition, the petitioners also said that these platforms should issue clear and strict guidelines to prevent vulgarity.

Central government side

During the hearing of the case in the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta put the side of the central government. He said that the government is taking this petition seriously, as it has become a threat not only for the youth of the country but also for children. Tushar Mehta argued in the court that, "The government is not taking this issue lightly. My main concern is that children are also looking at this content. These programs are not only obscene, but also perverted. These content has been told for people above 18 years, but it does not mean that children do not have access to this."

Supreme court stance

Supreme Court Judge BR Gavai made seriously comment on the matter. He said, "We have also seen that parents call them to keep children busy, which is a serious matter. The executive and legislature should pay attention to it. We should take immediate steps on it."

The Supreme Court judges also said that the government should take concrete steps at the earliest in this matter and issue clear guidelines to social media and OTT platforms, so that the negative effects of these pornographic content can be reduced on children and youth.

Pornography is affecting children

This case is also important because social media and OTT platforms are expanding rapidly across the country. Not only are films and web series on these platforms, but many children and teenagers are also using them. There are many content available which can negatively affect the mental development of children. Pornography, violence and deformed language are being used in video content and short films on these platforms, which can be harmful to children.

Big question about content monitoring & regulation on the Internet 

This case is important because it is not only related to the safety of children, but it also raises a big question about the monitoring and regulation of content on the Internet. The way the Supreme Court has understood the seriousness of the case, it is an indication that some concrete steps will be taken soon on this issue.

In the next hearing, the central government will have to submit its report on the issue, and if the guidelines are not issued, more strict steps can be taken by the court.