Social activists, advocates seek stricter laws on online access to pornographic content
Social activists and legal advocates on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, urged the government to introduce stronger legal safeguards to curb unrestricted access to pornographic and sexually explicit content online, particularly for children and adolescents. The appeal followed a series of sexual assault cases reported recently, including the gang-rape of a minor near a Delhi college.
Addressing a press conference, Save Culture Save Bharat Foundation founder and former Central Information Commissioner Uday Mahurkar said the challenge went far beyond regulating digital platforms and touched on public safety and social well-being. The issue was “not merely about regulating digital content but about the safety of women and children, prevention of sexual violence, and the social environment in which India’s younger generation is growing up,” he said.
Press conference highlights
The briefing brought together several voices from civil society and the legal fraternity. In addition to Mr. Mahurkar, the speakers included Yogita Bhayana, founder of People Against Rape in India; Vishnu Shankar Jain, Advocate-on-Record in the Supreme Court; Sanjeev Newar, founder of Sewa Nyay Utthan and Rashtra Jyoti; Vineet Jindal, advocate and social activist; and Amita Sachdev, Supreme Court advocate and social activist.
Participants argued that easy access to explicit material online risks distorting young people’s understanding of sex, consent, and relationships, and called for a comprehensive framework to protect minors through stronger laws, clearer accountability for platforms and intermediaries, and enforceable penalties for violations.
Call for a dedicated law and stronger enforcement
Mr. Mahurkar noted that the government’s action in 2025 against 25 over-the-top (OTT) platforms carrying obscene content was a step in the right direction. He said further steps were necessary to close legal gaps and ensure age-appropriate online environments. A memorandum submitted by him to Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the following measures:
- A dedicated law to prevent persons below 18 years of age from accessing pornographic and obscene content online.
- Robust, meaningful age verification requirements to ensure minors cannot bypass safeguards.
- Greater accountability for platforms and intermediaries in preventing access to explicit content by minors.
He added that India could consider a blanket ban on minors using social media, pointing to measures taken in Australia. He also said that 16 countries have enacted laws prohibiting minors from accessing pornographic content. The memorandum further recommended amendments to the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, including harsher penalties—such as up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a three-year period during which bail would not be granted, and attachment of properties of convicted offenders.
Platform responsibility and statutory liability
Emphasising the need for a robust enforcement framework, Supreme Court Advocate-on-Record Vishnu Shankar Jain said India required clear and enforceable rules that make age verification meaningful and difficult to evade. He argued that platforms, intermediaries, and service providers should face clearly defined liability under statute, with explicit duties and enforceable penalties for non-compliance.
Advocates at the event underscored that simply issuing guidelines without a strong legal backbone and active monitoring would not be sufficient. They urged the government to delineate roles and responsibilities across platforms, hosting services, and device ecosystems, so that protective measures are applied comprehensively and consistently.
Focus on prevention and child safety
People Against Rape in India founder Yogita Bhayana stressed that prevention must start before crimes are committed by shielding children from influences that can warp their understanding of consent, intimacy, and human relationships. Given children’s heavy dependence on mobile phones for education and communication, she said, responsibility must extend beyond individual households to include platforms, technology companies, and the regulatory system.
Speakers collectively highlighted the importance of digital literacy and parental awareness alongside statutory controls. However, they cautioned that awareness alone cannot counter the scale and sophistication of online platforms, and that technological and legal safeguards must work in tandem to be effective.
Regulatory context and proposed reforms
The call for tighter regulation comes amid mounting concern over the link between unfettered access to explicit content and societal harm. While acknowledging past enforcement actions—such as the crackdown on 25 OTT platforms in 2025—participants argued that these steps need to be integrated into a broader, more durable legislative framework.
Proposals to amend the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, were presented as part of a strategy to deter the production and dissemination of obscene content and to impose meaningful consequences for violators. The suggested penalties—10 years’ imprisonment, no bail for three years, and attachment of properties—were framed as necessary to address the gravity of offenses and signal zero tolerance.
Next steps
The memorandum to the Prime Minister seeks to catalyse legislative action on age verification and platform accountability, as well as to prompt debate on measures such as restricting minors’ social media access. Activists and advocates said a clearer timeline for reforms, coupled with defined enforcement mechanisms, is essential to ensure that protective measures are not only enacted but effectively implemented.
They concluded that safeguarding children online should be treated as a core public safety and public health priority, with coordinated action by the government, judiciary, technology companies, and civil society to create a safer digital ecosystem for young users.
Published: September 30, 2026, 10:04 p.m. IST
