New Delhi, Nov 12 The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights on Thursday held a final stakeholder meeting with representatives of social media and online gaming platforms as part of its initiative to formulate comprehensive guidelines on responsible, safe and age-appropriate use of social media by children.
The meeting, chaired by the NCPCR chairperson Valeti Premchand, focused on reviewing the existing child safety measures adopted by digital platforms and deliberating upon the recommendations contained in the Child Safety Implementation Matrix.
“NCPCR, a statutory body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, held a final stakeholder meeting under the chairmanship of its chairperson with representatives of social media and online gaming platforms as part of its ongoing initiative to formulate a comprehensive advisory/guidelines on the responsible, safe and age-appropriate use of social media by children,” the child rights body said in a statement.
The participants shared details of measures already implemented, future plans for implementation and other suggestions.
They also made presentations highlighting their existing child safety measures, awareness initiatives for children, parents and caregivers, and plans to further strengthen online safety, the statement said.
The initiative assumes significance amid increasing use of digital platforms by children and concerns over their exposure to harmful and age-inappropriate content, cyberbullying, online grooming, Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM), privacy violations and other forms of online exploitation.
These concerns highlight the need for stronger safeguards, greater awareness and enhanced accountability of digital platforms, the statement said.
The Commission held its first meeting with social media platforms and technology companies on May 22 to deliberate upon the existing child safety mechanisms, content moderation, reporting and grievance redressal systems, prevention of online exploitation and awareness measures.
It then held a consultation with civil society organisations on July 24 to obtain their recommendations and suggestions on strengthening online safety and protection of children.
These inputs were examined and consolidated into a Child Safety Implementation Matrix.
The matrix included principles like safety by design, age assurance and age-appropriate experience, child data protection, CSEAM detection and enforcement, anti-addictive design and digital wellbeing, reporting and time-bound redressal, empowerment of children and parents, etc., the statement said.
The consultative process was extended to online gaming platforms, with a separate meeting held on October 19 to deliberate upon child safety concerns.
“The inputs and responses received during these consultations, including the deliberations of the meeting held on Thursday, will contribute towards further refinement and finalisation of the proposed advisory/guidelines,” the Commission said.
(PTI News)
