Why is it in the news?
US court penalised Meta & YouTube for harmful platform design.
Raises global concerns on child safety in digital space.
Category: Polity / Social Issues
Important Points:
● Platforms held liable for addictive design (infinite scroll, autoplay)
● DPDP Act, 2023 mandates parental consent for children’s data
● Children defined as below 18 years
● Ban on targeted ads and tracking of minors
● IT Rules mandate content classification (U, U/A, A)
● Harmful content must be removed within 3 hours
● SGI (AI-generated content) must be labelled
● POCSO Act covers online grooming and abuse
● States proposing social media bans for minors
● Concerns include addiction, cyberbullying, data exploitation