APSC Answer Writing (Daily) based on Assam Tribune – 11/09/2026
For APSC CCE and other Assam Competitive examinations aspirants, practicing Daily Answer Writing is vital. This blog covers the most important Main question and its model Answer from the Assam Tribune today (11-09-2026).
Q. “The growing digital footprint of children has created a new governance dilemma between protecting minors from online harms and preserving their rights to privacy, access and participation.” In light of the Supreme Court’s recent intervention, critically examine the need for a comprehensive child-centric digital governance framework in India.
The Supreme Court’s recent notice on safeguards for minors on social-media platforms highlights the need to reconcile child protection with privacy and digital freedoms in an increasingly connected India.
1. Why is stronger regulation necessary?
- Online exploitation: Children face risks of grooming, sextortion, cyberbullying, trafficking and sexual exploitation.
- Data vulnerability: Platforms can collect children’s behavioural and personal data, enabling profiling and targeted manipulation.
- Algorithmic exposure: Recommendation algorithms may amplify age-inappropriate or harmful content.
- Digital dependency: UNICEF notes that increased online engagement expands both opportunities and risks for children.
- Scale of access: In rural Assam, 85.1% of 14–16-year-olds reported being able to use a smartphone in ASER 2024, demonstrating the growing relevance of digital-child protection.
2. Existing legal and institutional safeguards
| Framework | Relevance |
| Article 21 | Privacy, dignity and personal liberty |
| Article 15(3) | Special provisions for children |
| Article 39(e),(f) | Protection of children from exploitation and healthy development |
| POCSO Act, 2012 | Protection against sexual offences |
| IT Act, 2000 | Cyber and intermediary framework |
| DPDP Act, 2023 | Child-data protection |
| IT Rules, 2021 | Intermediary due diligence |
The DPDP Act, Section 9 requires verifiable parental consent before processing children’s personal data and restricts harmful processing, tracking/behavioural monitoring and targeted advertising, subject to statutory provisions.
The DPDP Rules, 2025 further specify mechanisms for verifying parental/guardian consent.
3. Major governance challenges
- Age verification vs privacy: Excessive KYC can itself create surveillance and data-security risks.
- Parental consent vs autonomy: Older adolescents require increasing agency rather than blanket parental control.
- Platform accountability: Self-regulation may be inadequate against algorithm-driven harms.
- Digital divide: Excessive restrictions may disproportionately affect children who depend on digital platforms for education.
- Enforcement gap: Cross-border platforms and anonymous perpetrators complicate investigation.
4. Way Forward — Towards Child-Safety by Design
Risk assessment → Privacy-preserving age assurance → Parental/guardian safeguards → Algorithmic accountability → Rapid reporting & redressal → Independent auditing
- Adopt risk-based, proportionate regulation, rather than a blanket ban.
- Promote privacy-preserving age assurance instead of indiscriminate identity collection.
- Mandate child-safety impact assessments for high-risk platforms.
- Strengthen coordination among MeitY–MWCD–NCPCR–police–platforms–schools.
- Integrate digital literacy and cyber-safety into school education.
- Establish stronger mechanisms for reporting grooming, exploitation and cyberbullying.
- In Assam/Northeast, strengthen school-level digital-literacy and child-protection mechanisms, especially in geographically dispersed and digitally transitioning communities.
India must move from merely regulating harmful content to regulating harmful platform design, balancing Articles 21 and 15(3) with children’s evolving digital autonomy. A human-centric, privacy-preserving and cooperative digital-governance model can advance child welfare and the constitutional vision of inclusive development.
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