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Synopsis

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recently convened with representatives from major social media platforms to address the pressing issue of ensuring children’s safety online. Participants included companies such as Google, YouTube, Meta, X, Snapchat, Reddit, Sharechat, and Bumble. The primary focus of the meeting was on preventing children from exposure to harmful content and online exploitation.

The meeting addressed several key issues aimed at enhancing child safety on social media platforms. These included the implementation of mechanisms for age verification such as mandatory implementation of Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures, the development of safety tools specifically for child users, and the creation of systems to detect and report Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). Additionally, the discussions focused on providing support for law enforcement agencies, introducing tools to block CSAM and locate predators, and ensuring robust data protection and privacy measures for victims. Parameters for reporting cases to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) were also explored, along with measures to shield children from explicit content.

Following the meeting, a consensus was reached on several key points, leading to a set of recommendations issued by the NCPCR. These include:

Ensuring Child Safety: Platforms must implement Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures and comply with Section 9 of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, to ensure user identity verification.

Mandatory Reporting of CSAM: As per Section 19 of the POCSO Act, 2012, platforms are legally obligated to report instances of CSAM directly to law enforcement agencies.

Parental Consent for Contracts: Minors should only be permitted to enter into contracts with social media platforms with explicit parental or guardian consent.

Display of Disclaimers: Platforms must display warnings in multiple languages regarding adult content, citing the POCSO Act and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, to inform parents about potential liability for exposing children to such material.

Data Sharing with NCMEC: Platforms are required to submit detailed reports to NCMEC from January to June 2024, including information on child exploitation, child pornography, and associated metadata.

The Commission emphasised the importance of strengthening safety measures to protect children from online predators and explicit content. Following the meeting, the NCPCR issued a formal letter containing recommendations aimed at reinforcing child safety.

The NCPCR has requested that the platforms adopt these recommendations and submit an Action Taken Report within seven days of receiving the letter.