New Delhi: Abhijeet Dipke has questioned the Centre’s proposed move to legally prevent people below 18 from creating social media accounts, asking whether
online safety is the only reason behind the proposed restriction.
The Centre told the Supreme Court on Monday that it would amend the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules to make it a statutory obligation for social media platforms to prevent users below 18 from opening accounts. The move follows the court’s concerns over minors independently entering into agreements with digital platforms.
Dipke, reacting to the development, argued that social media has given younger users a space to question political messaging and those in power. He contrasted the experience of Gen Z with the growing presence of Gen Alpha online.
“All these years the BJP controlled the narrative through mainstream media and WhatsApp. But Instagram is a different battlefield,” Dipke said in a post on X.
He claimed Gen Z had used Instagram to question, mock and challenge political propaganda, and suggested that younger users were increasingly engaging with political issues online.
“And now Gen Alpha is coming of age online,” he said.
Dipke questioned whether the proposed restrictions could also affect the ability of younger users to participate in online political discourse.
Dipke acknowledged that restrictions on minors could be presented as a measure for online safety but said he believed it was reasonable to question whether there could be other considerations.
“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,” he said.
He further claimed that teenagers were already openly criticising political leaders, including the Prime Minister.
“Even 15 and 16-year-olds are openly mocking the Prime Minister and those in power,” Dipke said.
His comments are a political interpretation of the proposed rules and do not establish the government’s motive for introducing them.
Instead of restricting an entire age group, Dipke said the government should focus on tackling abuse and harassment faced by young people online.
“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 said.
The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to consider giving the proposed age requirement statutory backing. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the government would examine the issue.
