Supreme Court Deliberates on Regulation of Sexual Content on OTT Platforms

The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre concerning a plea that calls for a ban on sexually explicit content on OTT and social media. The court emphasized that regulating such content lies with the legislature or executive. The petitioners argue the content negatively impacts youth and society.

The Supreme Court is currently addressing a plea seeking to ban the streaming of sexually explicit material on OTT and social media platforms. Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih have stressed that the responsibility lies with the legislature or executive to devise measures tackling this issue.

Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appealed for the court's oversight while underlining that debates on freedom of speech would be considered. Mehta highlighted the obscenity and perversion present in some contents and insisted on the necessity for robust content regulations.

The plea, presented by Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, argues that unchecked explicit content fosters perverted tendencies and societal harm. It appeals for the creation of an authority to regulate content and calls for a Centre-imposed moratorium on platform access pending content certification mechanisms.

(With inputs from agencies.)