The Government of India has outlined a series of legal, regulatory and awareness measures aimed at promoting digital well-being, strengthening online safety and addressing concerns related to digital addiction, particularly among children and young internet users.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government has strengthened safeguards by leveraging the Information Technology Act, 2000, along with the Information Technology Rules, 2021, to establish a framework that promotes digital well-being, user safeguards and responsible digital participation, ANI reported.
Awareness campaigns, schools and cyber education form key part of strategy
Apart from the regulatory framework, the government is also focusing on digital awareness through the Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) project.
According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the initiative aims to generate human resources in information security while creating awareness about cyber hygiene and cybersecurity among the public.
So far, 6,650 awareness workshops have been organised across the country, covering more than 11.37 lakh participants, including school and college students, teachers, law enforcement personnel, government officials and members of the general public.
The ministry said multilingual awareness material, including handbooks, posters, brochures, cartoon stories for children and short videos, has also been disseminated through print, electronic and social media platforms, as well as dedicated websites.
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) regularly publishes safety advisories, awareness posters, infographics and videos through its official website and social media channels to sensitise internet users about cyber attacks, online fraud and child safety.
The Ministry of Education issued the PRAGYATA Guidelines on Digital Education in 2020 to promote safe online learning and responsible use of social media and electronic devices.
CBSE has supplemented these efforts by issuing digital etiquette guidelines, organising cyber security training for teachers, publishing the Cyber Security Handbook, and advising schools to establish Cyber Clubs.
NCERT has incorporated cyber safety into its curriculum, including a chapter on “Societal Impacts” for Classes XI and XII, while CIET-NCERT has developed additional resource material on cyber safety.
Tighter platform rules, child data protection and gaming regulations
The government has also introduced several legal safeguards governing online platforms.
Recent amendments to the Information Technology Rules require social media platforms and other intermediaries to remove unlawful content within three hours of receiving an order from a competent court or a reasoned intimation from the appropriate government or its authorised agency.
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 provides a legal framework for protecting children’s privacy online by requiring parental consent before processing children’s personal data. The law also prohibits practices considered detrimental to children’s well-being, including behavioural tracking, monitoring and targeted advertising.
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 has also been introduced to address digital addiction and financial harm among young users.
According to the Ministry, Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 empowers the government to notify intermediaries for removing or disabling access to unlawful content. Based on complaints received, the government has disabled 50 OTT platforms for public access in India during the last two years for allegedly displaying obscene content and violating provisions of the Information Technology Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
The government also referred to the Economic Survey 2025-26, which describes digital addiction as a serious public health challenge affecting children and young people, particularly those aged 15-29 years, who have near-universal access to smartphones and the internet.
According to the Survey, digital addiction can affect cognitive development, academic performance, workplace productivity, social connectedness and mental health, and may lead to anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, cyberbullying and financial losses arising from compulsive gaming, social media use and online gambling.
The information was provided by Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
