Supreme Court seeks Centre's response on plea to ban minors from social media - ‘Need some safeguard’

The Supreme Court on Thursday sought the Centre’s reply to a petition demanding a ban on minors operating social media accounts, emphasising the need for robust safeguards.The petition, filed by NGO Just Rights for Children Alliance, argued that because minors cannot legally enter into contracts, they should not be permitted to accept online user agreements required to create social media accounts.A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued notices to the Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology, Law, and Labour, according to a report by the Indian Express.During the hearing, Senior Advocate HS Phoolka, representing the petitioner before the bench, which also included Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana, pointed out that children under 13 are barred from using social media in the US.Agreeing with the concerns, CJI Kant said, “We need some safeguard in India,” as reported by IE.