Supreme Court Urged to Enforce Stricter Controls on Obscene Digital Content

Senior advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing a petitioner at the Supreme Court, calls for a ban on obscene content on OTT and social media platforms. Supreme Court issues notice to the Centre in response to a PIL demanding stricter regulations against the spread of sexually explicit material online.

In a significant move, the Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Centre, OTT, and social media platforms following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding the prohibition of obscene content streaming. Senior advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the petitioner, emphasized the urgent need for stricter regulations to curb the spread of indecent material online.

The call for regulation was echoed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the Union government. He recognized the severity of the issue and highlighted the government's existing efforts to address the concern. The court observed that the availability of such content is a serious matter that could harm societal values and public safety if left unchecked.

The PIL specifically targets platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and social media giants Meta and YouTube, urging the government to take decisive action. Petitioners argue that the unchecked availability of sexually explicit content is contributing to rising crimes against women and children and negatively impacting young minds. They propose the formation of a National Content Control Authority to oversee digital content distribution.

(With inputs from agencies.)