Govt. moves to curb child exploitation on social media

The Government is taking steps to introduce new laws and regulations to prevent children from being exploited by parents and other adults seeking money or popularity through social media, Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Savithri Paulraj said.

The proposed measures seek to address the growing practice of exposing children to dangerous activities and inappropriate content to attract online attention, increase engagement or generate commercial benefits.

The Minister said reported practices include taking children to dangerous or high-risk locations, encouraging them to use obscene language, involving them in content intended for adults and exposing them to sexually explicit material.

She said parents who place their children at risk in pursuit of financial gain or online popularity raise serious questions about their ability to discharge their parental responsibilities.

Parents also do not have an unlimited right to compromise their children's privacy, the Minister said, stressing that decisions to seek public attention or popularity should ultimately be left to individuals when they reach adulthood and have the maturity to make such choices.

Children exposed to serious risks through irresponsible parental use of social media may have to be identified as children requiring protection, she said. In some cases, protective guardianship arrangements may also be necessary to safeguard their welfare and security.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, together with the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), is finalising guidelines aimed at promoting a child-friendly media culture.

The guidelines, prepared with the assistance of a panel of experts, are expected to be implemented shortly.

The proposed legal and regulatory framework comes amid growing international concern over the commercial exploitation of children on social media, commonly known as “kidfluencing”, where children feature in online content created to build audiences or generate income.

Countries and jurisdictions, including France and California in the United States, have introduced measures to regulate children's participation in commercial online content. These include provisions to protect income earned through such activities and limits on the amount of time children can be required to participate.

Major social media platforms have also been tightening measures to protect children's privacy and safety online.

The Ministry said the proposed laws and guidelines would establish a stronger framework to protect children from being exploited for commercial gain or personal fame through social media.