Supreme Court judge Justice Vikram Nath on Sunday said criminal law by itself cannot secure a safe digital childhood and called for a coordinated response across families, schools, communities, technology platforms, and justice institutions.
He said protection of childhood can no longer stop at the home, classroom, or neighbourhood, because the digital world is integral to a child’s life and society's duty of care must extend to it.
Justice Nath addressed the session on "The Safe Digital Childhood: Prevention, Awareness, and Community-Based Legal Protection," on the second and final day of the South Zone Regional Conference on 'Enhancing Access to Justice for Children in Cyberspace: Preventing Online Sexual Exploitation and Strengthening Child-Friendly Justice and Protection' here, an official release said.
"Criminal law by itself cannot secure a safe digital childhood...what is required is a coordinated response. Prevention, protection, investigation, legal aid, and rehabilitation with families, schools, communities, technology platforms, and justice institutions each playing their part," he said.
He commended the Telangana State Legal Services Authority for releasing the Telugu edition of NALSA's (National Legal Services Authority) schemes, observing that a scheme unavailable in the language of its intended beneficiaries exists only on paper.
He said legal awareness becomes meaningful only when it is accessible in a language people understand and use.
He highlighted the transformed landscape of childhood in cyberspace, pointing out that while the internet offers learning, creativity, and opportunity, an online person who is physically absent can still pose real threats such as grooming, cyberstalking, impersonation, circulation of intimate images, trafficking, and child abuse material.
Justice Nath cautioned that artificial intelligence can make fabricated images and impersonation disturbingly realistic, noting that exploitation often begins with a friendly message or gaming interaction that gradually turns trust into manipulation and coercion, alongside cyberbullying and financial fraud.
He further said that the internet is not the enemy of childhood, stating that the real challenge lies in designing, regulating, and using technology responsibly so children can participate safely and with dignity.
He also referred to the legal framework safeguarding children in cyberspace -- constitutional guarantees of dignity, privacy, and special care, alongside the POCSO Act (2012), Information Technology Act (2000), Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (2023), Juvenile Justice Act (2015), Digital Personal Data Protection Act (2023), and UNCRC General Comment No. 25 -- reiterating that a child's rights must be meaningful both offline and online.
He stressed that the first line of protection begins with trusted, informed adults in families, schools, and communities, advising caregivers to notice behavioral changes, foster an open atmosphere, and teach children to explore the digital realm without surrendering privacy or personal credentials.
He urged that whenever a child speaks up, the first response must be reassurance rather than reproach.