Nagpur: Meta and other social media platforms could face tough questions from the Maharashtra govt over the use of their apps by minors, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told TOI, amid growing anxiety among parents of Gen Z in the wake of the Nagpur BDSM case in which a 16-year-old girl was allegedly held hostage and tortured by a youth she met on Instagram.Sources told TOI the Maharashtra home department, headed by Fadnavis, is looking at ironclad options to protect minors online from predators, some of whom fake identities to pose as minors themselves. The process to explore legal options at the state level appears to have picked up pace after the BDSM horror. When TOI asked Fadnavis if the state would summon Meta and others over the safety of minors online, the CM said, “We will evaluate what needs to be done.”If the plan goes ahead and Maharashtra does eventually come up with a policy, it won’t be the first state to act. Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have already proposed a ban on social media accounts by minors. Internationally, Australia has implemented a ban on use of social media by those under 16 years of age.Meta is already under Centre’s scanner with the ministry of electronics and information technology summoning senior company executives recently after Facebook restricted a video message from PM Narendra Modi on the NEET stir.For parents of Gen Z, the Nagpur BDSM case has sharpened the demand for social media platforms to be held accountable, not just users. “Instagram needs to have stronger parental controls, particularly when it comes to minors. Strangers can easily connect online, build friendships and develop a sense of trust without ever meeting in person. The real danger arises when such online relationships move offline,” said Yashraj Trivedi, the parent of a 19-year-old. Trivedi said incidents like this have made many parents hesitant to give their children smartphones.Another parent, who did not wish to be named, said companies like Meta cannot shrug off responsibility. “Instagram is an extremely popular platform and the Gen Z crowd is there, hence an ethical accountability has to be there in verifying identity of all account users. Some govt ID must be submitted and verified, like e-KYC, by those who wish to open a social media account,” said the parent of a 23-year-old.Cyber law expert and lawyer Mahendra Limaye said the current situation is bleak when it comes to options for making social media giants verify the identity of users. “You cannot allow e-KYC because that will give them access to our sovereign data. Even though data may be encrypted, still foreign companies must not get even a backdoor entry. The only option is to ban use of smartphones by minors,” said Limaye. He added the onus lies on these tech giants to come up with innovative safeguards. “It’s tricky because the Nagpur crime occurred offline, for which Meta could not have done anything. The only part these companies play is of becoming a meeting place for strangers, and tech-driven solutions are needed to safeguard minors,” said Limaye.
