Supreme Court holds children, too, have a fundamental right to access the internet
Key facts
- A Supreme Court Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Vinod K. Chandran gave the ruling in October 2026.
- It held that internet access is a fundamental right of every individual under Article 21 read with Article 19(1)(a).
- The Court said children enjoy this right irrespective of their age.
- It called blanket restrictions on children's internet use disproportionate and backed parental consent and a child mode instead.
Why it matters
[SC Ruling] This extends the right to the internet, first recognised in Anuradha Bhasin (2020), to children. It ties Article 21 and Article 19(1)(a) to online access. The Court preferred proportionate safeguards over bans, which helps in GS-2 answers on child rights, digital regulation and the POCSO Act.