New Delhi, 17 October 2026: The Supreme Court has made a very important and landmark comment regarding children's use of the Internet. The Supreme Court has made it clear that the right to access and use the Internet is a fundamental right of every person, including children, regardless of age. The court had emphatically said that in the name of protecting children from online dangers, they cannot be completely deprived of the internet. Children's safety and their freedom are not contradictory to each other, but children deserve both.
Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K. Vinod Chandran's bench had said during the hearing that the right to access and use the Internet is a fundamental right under Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty) and Article 19(1)(a) (freedom of speech and expression) of the Constitution. According to the court, completely depriving children of this right is as wrong as believing that children below a certain age do not have freedom of conscience.
Describing the Internet as a very important medium of ideas, creative expression and information, the Court said that especially for children living in remote areas, the Internet can become the only means of acquiring knowledge. Therefore, keeping them away from the internet limits their opportunities to learn and grow.
The Supreme Court clarified that giving children the right to use the Internet does not mean that their online security should be ignored. It is equally important to protect children from sexual exploitation, abuse and other online threats. In this context, the bench has ordered social media platforms and online services to strengthen their systems to identify and immediately remove material related to sexual exploitation of children.