A Supreme Court petition has been filed asking for orders to be given to the Center to prevent the publication of pornographic or obscene content on social media platforms, as this is contributing to an increase in sexual offenses.
Easy access to porn via mobile internet is not only distorting sexual behavior but also generating a “alarming rise in sexual offences” against teenage girls, according to the PIL filed by pediatric surgeon Sanjay Kulshresthra.
The plea stated that the respondents should use their authority under the Information Technology Act to make sure 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” in order to curb the rising number of sexual crimes.
The Union ministries of Women and Child Development, Home Affairs, and Electronics and Information Technology have been named as parties to the case by the petitioner.
“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,” the PIL said.
The PIL said that viewing pornography was responsible for developing a casual attitude in men towards sexual violence against women.
(With agency inputs)
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