'Exposing Minors To Sexual Grooming': Allahabad High Court Issues Notices On PIL Seeking Ban On 'Roblox', Other Gaming Platforms

The Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) has issued notices on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition seeking directions to ban minors' access to the online gaming platform 'ROBLOX' and similar other virtual platforms. A bench comprising Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjive Shukla passed the order on a petition filed by Rani Singh, a practising lawyer of the High Court, who appeared in person. The PIL plea seeks a writ of Mandamus commanding the respondent authorities, including the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), to “ban access of gaming platform ROBLOX and other similar platforms to minors”. It states that such platforms are exposing Indian minors to sexual grooming, violent content, psychological harm, financial exploitation, unregulated chatrooms, predatory behaviour, and content incompatible with child welfare. The plea clarifies that the focus on 'Roblox' is merely illustrative of the broader issue addressed by the present Petition. Some examples of similarly positioned gaming platforms, as specified in the PIL plea, include PUBG, Manhunt, Free Fire MAX, the Grand Theft Auto series, Battlefield, and Fortnite. The PIL plea highlights that these platforms permit real-time social interaction, the creation of user-generated games and avatars, virtual currency transactions, and unregulated access to chatrooms without meaningful age verification, parental authentication, government oversight, or compliance with Indian child protection laws. Highlighting the potential threats posed by such platforms, the PIL plea seeks the constitution of a "high-level committee of child psychologists, cyber experts, AI Moderators, law enforcement authorities to assess risks and recommend immediate protective measures". Furthermore, the petitioner prayed for directions to the authorities to conduct "mandatory and periodic workshops, seminars, and awareness drives in schools and educational institutions". According to the plea, this is necessary to sensitize children, teachers, and parents regarding the “potential psychological, behavioural, and safety risks associated with online gaming platforms, including but not limited to Roblox”. Some of the harmful effects of such platforms, as specified in the PIL plea, are : Exposure to Inappropriate ContentRisk of Online Predation and Grooming Cyberbullying and Psychological HarmGaming Addiction and Excessive Screen TimeFinancial Exploitation Through Virtual CurrencyLack of Effective Age Verification MechanismsData Privacy and Collection ConcernsNormalization of Violence and Harmful BehaviourNeglect of studies, lack of social interaction within family structures, and overall developmental imbalance. Insufficient Awareness Among Parents and Schools: Importantly, the PIL plea also states that, given the growing use of such online gaming platforms among minors in India, there is a compelling need for statutory regulation, mandatory child-safety compliance, parental awareness programs, age-appropriate content monitoring, and stricter governmental oversight to safeguard the welfare and mental health of children. The petition arrays 15 respondents, including Union and State government departments, child rights commissions and the gaming platform's corporate representatives. It involves the Secretaries of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, and the Ministry of Education. State authorities impleaded in the matter include the State of UP through the Principal Secretary of the Department of Information Technology and Electronics, along with the Additional Chief Secretaries or Principal Secretaries of the Basic and Secondary Education Departments. The PIL plea also makes the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the State Commissioner for Protection of Child Rights (U.P.), and the Online Gaming Authority of India parties to the case. The gaming platform itself has been directly arrayed as a respondent through the Managing Director of Roblox India Services Pvt. Ltd. During the hearing, the Court noted that opposite parties 1 to 5 were represented by their counsel, Advocate Varun Pandey, and opposite parties 7, 8, 10, and 11 were represented by the Chief Standing Counsel (C.S.C.). In view of this, the bench directed that notice be issued to opposite party nos. 6, 9, 12 to 15, returnable at an early date.Case title - Rani Singh vs U.O.I Thri. Secy. Ministry Of Electronics And Information Technology Meity New Delhi And 14 OthersClick here To Read/Download Order

'Exposing Minors To Sexual Grooming': Allahabad High Court Issues Notices On PIL Seeking Ban On 'Roblox', Other Gaming Platforms

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'Exposing Minors To Sexual Grooming': Allahabad High Court Issues Notices On PIL Seeking Ban On 'Roblox', Other Gaming Platforms

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