The Supreme Court on September 28 asked the Union government to examine statutory and regulatory safeguards for children who independently open social media accounts. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant was hearing a public-interest petition from Just Rights for Children Alliance. The hearing raised the age at which a platform may grant membership, but it did not itself create a nationwide ban on accounts held by people under 18.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi questioned how platforms could let children aged 12 or 13 create accounts when Indian law restricts a minor’s ability to enter a contract. He urged the government to examine whether the Information Technology intermediary rules could require platforms to bring their membership systems into line with Indian law. The bench also discussed the possibility of court directions if the issue remained unaddressed; that was a warning during the hearing, not a final order removing any platform’s legal protection.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the government would examine the issue and was prepared to act. He discussed the Digital Personal Data Protection framework and parental consent, while counsel for the petitioner said the relevant data-protection provisions were not yet operative. These exchanges do not establish that a new age-verification rule has already been notified or that every teenager’s existing account must now be closed.
The petition seeks safeguards against children independently entering agreements with digital platforms. It also proposes age-assurance mechanisms and a route for children to reach educational content through accounts controlled by parents or guardians. Those proposals are requests made by the petitioner, not measures the Supreme Court has implemented across India.
Section 11 of the Indian Contract Act ties capacity to contract to the legal age of majority. How that principle should apply to different platform services, parental permission and children’s access is the question now under examination. The next practical step is a government response or a formally issued rule or court direction; until then, the September 28 hearing should not be reported as a completed social-media prohibition for all minors.