"Court observed that this is a serious issue": Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain on SC notice to Centre, OTTs, Social Media

New Delhi [India], April 28 (ANI): Senior advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for the petitioner in the Supreme Court regarding obscene content, emphasised the need for stricter rules and a ban on such content.
The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre, OTT and social media platforms on a PIL seeking direction to take appropriate steps to prohibit the streaming of obscene content.
Speaking to ANI, senior advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain said, "We have demanded that there should be a check and ban on obscene and indecent content floating on social media and OTTs. Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, representing the Union government, who appeared today, said that this is a serious concern and the government has brought some regulations. The court has issued a notice to the Centre and nine OTTs and social media platforms which are showing such content...Court observed that this is a serious issue..."
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Union government, acknowledged the seriousness of the issue and mentioned that the government has already implemented some regulations.
The petition sought direction to the Centre "to take appropriate steps to prohibit the streaming of sexually explicit, pornographic, paedophilic, incestuous and other content of similar nature including nudity, X-rated scenes, etc. on OTT Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Ullu, ALTT, etc. and social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Meta (formerly Facebook), Instagram, YouTube, etc."If left unchecked, this unregulated spread of obscene material could have severe consequences on societal values, mental health and public safety," said the PIL.
The petitioners said they are compelled to raise this matter due to the rampant availability of pornographic, obscene, and sexually deviant content across digital platforms."The unchecked circulation of such material, including child pornography and softcore adult content, has contributed to a rising trend of crimes against women and children while negatively shaping the psychological development of young minds," it said.OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Ullu, ALTT (formerly, ALT Balaji), etc. continue to stream highly explicit content, some of which violates child rights and safety due to such sexually deviant material, the petition stated.
The petition further sought direction to the Centre to stop access to the social media- X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc, as well as OTT platforms until they formulate a mechanism to ensure that all pornographic content is made inaccessible, especially to children and minors in India.
Lay down guidelines by constituting a National Content Control Authority to prohibit sexually perverted content on OTT Platforms and various social media platforms, it also asked. (ANI)