A petition has been lodged in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Centre to ensure that social media platforms do not display obscene or pornographic material as they cause an increase in sexual crimes.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Paediatric Surgeon Sanjay Kulshresthra said that easy access to porn through mobile internet was not only distorting sexual behaviour but also causing an alarming rise in sexual offences against minor girls.
The plea stated that in order to control the increasing number of sexual crimes, the Supreme Court should direct the respondents to exercise their power under the Information Technology Act to ascertain that various social media platforms make reasonable efforts to cause the users not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store or share obscene or pornographic material.
Reportedly, the petitioner has made the Union ministries of Electronics and Information Technology, Home Affairs and Women and Child Development as parties to the case.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) stated that although there could be many reasons for the alarming rise in rapes in children, the petitioner has found that availability of easy, almost free internet making pornography available 24 hours, especially on mobile phones to all age groups, to all economic classes, could be a significant cause. It added that viewing pornography was responsible for developing a casual attitude in men towards sexual violence against women.
Sanjay Kulshresthra further submitted that the pervasive nature of pornographic content, easily accessible on mobile devices across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, exacerbates the vulnerability of minors and perpetuates a culture of sexual violence.
Furthermore, it also underlined on the role of pornography consumption in fostering a casual attitude among men toward sexual violence against women. Notably, the petitioner aims to curb the normalisation of harmful behaviors and promote a safer digital environment for all users by advocating for stricter regulation of online content.