The Central Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring safer digital spaces for children by mandating stronger safeguards on Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms to prevent exposure to age-inappropriate
content.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha raised by Dr Kanimozhi, Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Dr L Murugan, highlighted the Government’s commitment to ensuring ethical digital media practices while upholding freedom of speech under Article 19(1) of the Constitution.
Underlining key provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, Murugan said that Part-III of the IT Rules mandates a Code of Ethics for publishers of online curated content, including OTT platforms.
As per these norms, these OTT platforms are required to classify content into five age-based categories, restrict access to age-inappropriate content by implementing robust parental controls and viewer verification mechanisms, and ensure no content prohibited by existing laws is transmitted.
The Rules further require publishers of news and current affairs to follow the Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks Act, 1995, and the Press Council of India’s Norms of Journalistic Conduct, which bar inaccurate, misleading or half-truths in digital media.
To ensure compliance, the IT Rules establish a three-level grievance redressal system:
Level I: Publisher
Level II: Self-regulating body of publishers
Level III: Central Government’s oversight mechanism
The minister said that this framework balances accountability with the freedom of the press.
Under Part II of the IT Rules, intermediaries such as Facebook and YouTube are obligated to prevent the spread of patently false or misleading information.
To support this effort, a Fact Check Unit (FCU) was established in November 2019 within the Press Information Bureau. This unit verifies information related to the Central Government and disseminates corrections through official social media channels.
Additionally, under Section 69A of the IT Act, the Government may block websites, posts, or social media accounts that threaten India’s sovereignty, security, or public order.
The Government also highlighted several initiatives aimed at empowering India’s digital creators: World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025; create in India Challenges (CIC), which provided industry-linked training and helped creators transform regional talent into professional content; WAVES Bazaar, a national marketplace enabling Indian creators to reach global buyers; and WAVES OTT, run by Prasar Bharati, offering a unified platform to showcase and monetise regional content.
