Congress leader Jairam Ramesh-headed Adhoc Committee of the Rajya Sabha has recommended separate adult section on streaming platforms like Netflix and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook where under-aged children could be disallowed. It said social media platforms should also have mechanism for age verification and restricting access to objectionable/obscene material.

The Committee recommended 40 changes including in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), 2012 and the Information Technology Act, 2000, Indian Penal Code and making monitoring apps mandatory on all devices to prevent sexual abuse of children and to contain access to and transmission of child pornography content on the social media.

The  Committee sought inclusions of a clause in the POCSO Act, 2012 under which advocating or counseling sexual activities with a person under the age of 18 years through any written material, visual representation or audio recording or any characterisation is made an offence under the Act. 

It also sought another clause to be inserted in the POCSO Act prescribing a Code of Conduct for intermediaries (online platforms) for maintaining child safety online, ensuring age appropriate content and curbing use of children for pornographic purposes. The Committee recommended a new section be included in the IT Act 2000, providing for punitive measures for those providing pornographic access to children and also those who access, produce or transmit Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). The Committee also recommended that social media sites and apps are required to issue age restriction warnings at the point of account creation/sign up that advises parents not to assist minors in the creation of underage accounts.