vajiraoias

Protecting Children Online: Supreme Court's Approach to Digital Safety | SC Says Internet is Fundamental Right for Children | CSEAM Verdict Explained BIG Supreme Court Judgement for UPSC GS-2! | Just Rights for Children Alliance vs S. Harish Case | 15th October 2026 Supreme Court Bench of Justice JB Pardiwala & Justice K Vinod Chandran gives landmark verdict on Children Online Safety: KEY OBSERVATIONS: "The safety of our children and their freedom are not at odds with each other. Our children are entitled to both." 1. Internet is FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT for Children: SC held right to access and use internet is fundamental right under Article 21 (Life & Personal Liberty) read with Article 19(1)(a) (Freedom of Speech & Expression). Children, irrespective of age, enjoy same rights as adults. Denying internet to children is as absurd as saying children below a certain age do not have a conscience worth protecting. 2. NO Blanket Ban on Children: SC REJECTED age-based blanket ban on internet/social media for children. Court said banning children will: - Push them to more dangerous unregulated websites - Victim will be treated as problem - "To keep child away from internet for failure of intermediaries would be to mistake the victim for the problem" - Children facing abuse will fear reporting to parents if they violated ban - Deny access to education, information, social connection 3. Focus on Perpetrators, Not Children: In CSEAM (Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material) cases, wrongdoers are those who CREATE, CIRCULATE, SELL or SEEK such material and intermediaries who fail to detect/remove it. Safety measures must target harmful material and those responsible. 4. SC Directions to Centre & Social Media Platforms: - Create National Database of verified digital identifiers, perceptual hashes & URLs linked to CSEAM - Database to be housed in Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) Sahyog Portal or separate repository - Strengthen detection, reporting, removal of CSEAM under IT Rules, POCSO Act - Implement 'Child Mode' for social media accounts instead of ban - with privacy limits, contact limits, moderated content, parental consent & guidance - Age-appropriate education on consent, privacy, reporting abuse - Enforce IT Act, 2000 & Intermediary Guidelines 2021 obligations 5. Related Petition: Emerald Heights International School Indore petition before CJI Surya Kant bench seeking ban on social media for children below prescribed age - Notice issued to Centre, WCD Ministry, NCPCR UPSC Relevance: Highly Important! GS2: Fundamental Rights Article 19, 21, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO), IT Act, Rights of Children, Supreme Court Judgements, NCPCR, I4C, Digital India, Child Rights GS3: Cyber Security, CSEAM, Intermediary Liability Vajirao & Reddy Institute - India's Top Potential Training Institute for IAS | Best Current Affairs for UPSC 2026. #ProtectingChildrenOnline #DigitalSafety #SupremeCourt #ChildSafety #CSEAM #InternetIsFundamentalRight #Article21 #Article19 #JustRightsForChildrenAlliance #JBpardiwala #ChildMode #OnlineSafety #POCSO #CyberCrime #UPSC2026 #CurrentAffairs2026 #GS2 #ChildRights #ITRules #VajiraoAndReddyInstitute #I4C #SahyogPortal #ChildProtection #RightToInternet #SocialMediaSafety