Abhijeet Dipke questions the Centre’s proposed restrictions on independent social media access for under-18s, warning against limiting young users’ participation online.
The move follows Supreme Court proceedings seeking statutory safeguards for minors against grooming, exploitation, cyberbullying and other online risks.
The exact age-verification mechanism, parental-consent rules and enforcement framework for the proposed restriction are yet to be finalised.
Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke has questioned the Centre’s move to restrict people under 18 from independently opening social media accounts, arguing that the measure could affect how young people participate in public and political discourse online.
Dipke made the remarks on X on Tuesday after reports that the Centre plans to amend the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, to require social media platforms to prevent minors from opening accounts. The development followed a Supreme Court hearing in which the Centre indicated that it would bring the restriction into the legal framework.
“All these years the BJP controlled the narrative through mainstream media and WhatsApp. But Instagram is a different battlefield,” Dipke wrote.
He argued that members of Gen Z had used Instagram to “question, mock and challenge political propaganda” and said Gen Alpha was now growing up in an increasingly digital environment.
“Restrictions on minors may sound reasonable on paper in the name of online safety. But it is fair to ask whether there is another motive too: stopping Gen Alpha from doing what Gen Z did,” Dipke said.
Supreme Court Seeks Legal Safeguards For Minors
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to put in place statutory safeguards governing minors’ access to social media platforms.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, was hearing a petition filed by the Just Rights for Children Alliance seeking safeguards for children on social media and other digital platforms.
The court questioned how platforms could allow children as young as 12 or 13 to independently open accounts and said intermediaries must comply with Indian law.
Justice Bagchi suggested that social media platforms should have a minimum threshold of 18 years for registering membership. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the government would take steps to ensure intermediaries complied with Indian law and indicated that the requirement could be incorporated into legislation or rules.
The petition has raised concerns including online grooming, sexual exploitation, trafficking, cyberbullying, misuse of personal data, behavioural profiling and exposure to age-inappropriate content. The court is considering the issue in the context of safeguards for minors rather than political speech by young users.
Dipke Says Online Safety Should Not Mean ‘Silencing’ Young Users
Dipke also pointed to the political activity of teenagers on social media, saying even 15- and 16-year-olds openly comment on and mock political leaders and people in positions of power.
He argued that the government should focus on making online spaces safer rather than restricting an entire age group from social media.
“If the Centre is genuinely concerned about young people online, it should focus on making the internet safer for them. Start by cracking down on accounts that harass and abuse girls online, not by silencing an entire generation,” he wrote.
The Centre’s proposed changes, however, are being framed by the government and the Supreme Court around legal safeguards and protection of minors from online risks. The exact mechanism for enforcing the proposed age restriction, including age verification and the treatment of parental consent, is yet to be finalised.
The broader issue is now likely to involve balancing child-safety measures with minors’ access to digital platforms, including social and educational services.
