Supreme Court rejects plea to ban social media use for children under 13

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a plea seeking a legal ban on social media use for children below 13, stating that it falls under policy matters.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih told the petitioner’s counsel to approach Parliament for legislation. “We are not inclined to entertain the present petition as the relief falls within the ambit of policy,” the bench said.

The court disposed of the petition but granted the petitioner liberty to submit a representation to the appropriate authority, directing that any such representation be considered in accordance with the law within eight weeks.

The plea, filed by the Jaype Foundation through advocate Mohini Priya, had urged the Centre to introduce strict age identification systems, such as biometric authentication, to regulate children’s access to social media.

It also sought stringent penalties for platforms failing to comply with child protection norms.