India’s top court affirms children’s right to internet access

India’s Supreme Court has held that access to and use of the internet is a fundamental right for everyone, including children, and rejected blanket age-based bans. The court said children’s safety and freedom to use the internet are not mutually exclusive, while calling for stronger measures to address online abuse and exploitation material. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran said the right is protected under Articles 21 and 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. It applies to children regardless of age, the judges said, and denying them access altogether would be an unreasonable response to risks online. The court warned that restrictions could push children toward unregulated and potentially more dangerous websites. It also noted that children who encounter threats or abuse might be less likely to seek help if they fear punishment for breaching restrictions. The court said the internet remains unsafe for children, but responsibility for harmful material should not be shifted onto its young users by excluding them from online spaces. The ruling came as the court issued directions aimed at improving the detection and removal of child sexual exploitation and abuse...