A recent LinkedIn post by a concerned mother has put spotlight on the alarming easy availability of adult products like sex toys and condoms on popular delivery apps, without any age restrictions or parental controls. The post has gathered significant attention on social media, prompting a direct response from Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal himself.
Ponsana David, a working mother of two daughters aged 14 and 9, explained about her family’s reliance on quick commerce platforms like Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, and Zepto for daily essentials. Highlighting her concern, she said that “the very same platforms that deliver a school notebook or a chocolate bar also deliver adult products like condoms, vibrators, and sex toys—with no parental controls or age restrictions.”
David said that her children had not searched for explicit content nor have they downloaded the app, but these items appeared “alongside (under categories) toys, chocolates, or wellness items.” She drew a stark contrast with alcohol or cigarettes, which often require age verification, noting that these platforms show “no hesitation in exposing children to such products. There’s no lock, no PIN, no warning.”
Posing a hypothetical yet unsettling scenario, she asked, “Imagine this: Your 9-year-old daughter or son standing in front of you, holding a condom packet. Or worse, a sex vibrator. Not because they know what it is. But because they thought it was a toy, or because it just showed up in the app.”
David clarified that her intent was “not about shame” or “moral policing”, nor was it “against knowing things related to sex/adult/awareness – education.” Instead, she stressed the importance of “responsible access, timing, and digital parenting tools.” She questioned why delivery apps, unlike platforms such as YouTube, Netflix, or Google, do not offer child profiles, PIN-protected sections, or age-appropriate filters.
Her powerful appeal to “all tech teams, founders, product managers” urged them to “think of the homes that trust your apps. Think of the 9-year-olds,” advocating for technology that is both “smart—but also safe.”
Zomato’s Deepinder Goyal responds, promises ‘progress very soon’
The post quickly went viral, resonating with many parents and digital app users. Among the prominent responses was one from Deepinder Goyal, CEO of Zomato, who commented directly on the post. “Hi Ponsana – thanks for sharing this. I am a parent as well, and this issue is deeply personal to me,” Goyal wrote. He further assured the concerned mother and the wider public, “This is already on top of our minds, and we are working to solve it. You should see progress on this front very soon. Thanks again, for keeping us accountable.”
David thanked Goyal for acknowledging her concern and for his reassurance. “As a parent, your response means a lot, because this issue goes beyond business, and straight into the emotional core of parenting and child safety.,” she said. David further urged Goyal to “fast-track” a solution. “We often wait until something unfortunate happens before policies or systems change but this is one of those cases where prevention is everything. Because that “9 year old situation” I spoke of wasn’t hypothetical. It was real. And I fear we may only realize the depth of the problem after a regrettable incident which none of us want,” she added.
The post has triggered debate on the need of age-appropriate content and parental controls on quick commerce platforms, and how it should be a priority for major players in the industry.