SC Declines Plea to Ban Kids Under 13 from Social Media, Says It’s a Policy Matter

The Supreme Court has declined to hear a plea to ban children under 13 from using social media, calling it a policy matter.

A Bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih allowed the petitioner to approach the appropriate authority instead.

The plea highlighted the harmful effects of social media on young children and urged for strong age checks, including biometric tools, to limit their access.

Filed by Zep Foundation, the plea urged the Centre to add mandatory parental controls—like real-time monitoring, age checks, and content filters—for teens in the draft data protection rules.

It further demanded strict penalties for platforms that violate child safety norms.

The plea also asked platforms to use algorithms to block addictive content aimed at minors and sought a nationwide digital literacy campaign to raise awareness among parents, teachers, and students.