In this screengrab from a video posted on July 10, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hold a press conference on the field at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. (@NarendraModi/YT via PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: In what could be an indication that the Centre is actively weighing tighter age-based controls on social media, PM Narendra Modi has praised Australia’s decision to bar children under 16 from accessing these platforms and said India was drawing lessons from the move.At the Australia-India leaders’ summit, Modi Thursday said Australia’s efforts to reform laws related to information technology and social media were “highly inspiring for the world” and added that India was “learning a lot” from those measures.Australia was the first country to impose a nationwide ban on social media access for those under 16, covering platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat.The PM’s remarks come amid growing govt focus on online safety for minors. Earlier this year, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said that the Centre was in discussions with social media companies on age-based safeguards, and industry reports indicated that IT ministry officials had since held multiple meetings with platforms and other stakeholders.Last week, govt directed Instagram to remove advertisements linked to child sexual abuse, while a June report by the home ministry highlighted the use of Telegram for sharing child sexual abuse material.Several states have announced plans to restrict social media access for children. Karnataka has proposed a ban for users below 16 years and Andhra Pradesh for those below 13. Goa is examining similar measures. However, states do not have the mandate to regulate communications, although they can use other grounds to block social media access for kids.Any nationwide restriction would face significant challenges in India, which has over 1.1 billion smartphone connections and one of the world’s largest populations of young internet users.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosSupreme Court Drama: Petitioner Abuses CJI, Throws Papers; No Contempt Action TakenDevendra Fadnavis Clarifies ‘Bhade Ke Tattu’ Remark, Says He Will Call Critics ‘Hired Fools’Amit Shah Announces Smart Border Vision With Four-Pronged Security Grid40-Foot Illegal Pipeline Linked To IOCL Oil Network Found In Rajasthan; Police Probe Oil TheftThree-Fold Rise In Assam Budget: Aims At Uplifting People, Says CM Sarma’You Will Have To Kill Me’: Mamata’s Defiant Message As TMC Faces Major RebellionIRCTC Rolls Out Beta Website With Simpler Booking Experience; 4 Key Changes Explained’She Pleaded For Help, No One Listened’: What The CCTV Reveals About Jaipur Schoolgirl’s DeathIgnored Warnings Or Natural Calamity? Kerala Orders Probe Into Wayanad Landslide Tragedy’Exam Paper Came A Night Before’: UGC-NET Leak Trail, Whistleblower Tells His Story | Watch123PhotostoriesFrom Samosa to Bread Pakoda: Popular deep-fried snacks of India and their calorie count you should knowTop 6 most visited national parks in the USA every nature lover should experience once in their lifetimeHow Chanel No. 5 got its famous name: The story behind the iconic fragrance10 baby names that mean “miracle” in different cultures6 stunning red birds in India and where to find themIf your child says these 7 phrases often, psychologists say they’re asking for connectionAre you accidentally damaging your kidneys? Doctor reveals the common daily mistakes that can lead to silent kidney diseaseSreeleela and Kalyani Priyadarshan ace the Wimbledon dress code with timeless London fashion5 natural alternatives to collagen supplements for healthy hair and skinRed vs green vs yellow bell peppers: Who wins the nutrition face-off?123Hot PicksSIRBlake LivelyGurgaon EncounterCM VijayAlex PereiraPM ModiNico HischierStrait of HormuzSimone BilesTop TrendingGurgaon MonsoonAMU Seerat CertificateTelangana Techie Wife MurderFIFA World Cup 2026Weather TodayTS EAMCET Phase 1 seat allotmentRamesh MhatreDelhi NCR rainGurgaon EncounterIran war
NEW DELHI: In what could be an indication that the Centre is actively weighing tighter age-based controls on social media, PM Narendra Modi has praised Australia’s decision to bar children under 16 from accessing these platforms and said India was drawing lessons from the move.At the Australia-India leaders’ summit, Modi Thursday said Australia’s efforts to reform laws related to information technology and social media were “highly inspiring for the world” and added that India was “learning a lot” from those measures.Australia was the first country to impose a nationwide ban on social media access for those under 16, covering platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat.The PM’s remarks come amid growing govt focus on online safety for minors. Earlier this year, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said that the Centre was in discussions with social media companies on age-based safeguards, and industry reports indicated that IT ministry officials had since held multiple meetings with platforms and other stakeholders.Last week, govt directed Instagram to remove advertisements linked to child sexual abuse, while a June report by the home ministry highlighted the use of Telegram for sharing child sexual abuse material.Several states have announced plans to restrict social media access for children. Karnataka has proposed a ban for users below 16 years and Andhra Pradesh for those below 13. Goa is examining similar measures. However, states do not have the mandate to regulate communications, although they can use other grounds to block social media access for kids.Any nationwide restriction would face significant challenges in India, which has over 1.1 billion smartphone connections and one of the world’s largest populations of young internet users.
![Representative image NEW DELHI: Ahead of the monsoon session scheduled to start from July 20, a group of women organisations and activists under the banner of ‘National Coalition for Women’s Reservation’ have demanded “unconditional and immediate” implementation of 33% women’s reservation in the Parliament and state legislatures at the existing strength from the next round of elections. They have called upon the govt to bring a Constitutional Amendment Bill in the upcoming session to delink women’s reservation from census and delimitation. They have also sought that the opposition parties should support their demand and take up the issue in Parliament.The Coalition members are reaching out to all MPs in their constituencies to seek their support for their demands. They will be holding joint dharnas (demonstration) across the country on July 20-21 and have announced that they will hold daily dharnas from Monday to Friday throughout the monsoon session of Parliament in the Capital. The sit-in to be held at Jantar Mantar. A national conference with women MPs is also planned by the Coalition. Some of the organisations that are part of the coalition include All India Democratic Women’s Association, National Federation of Indian Women – the women’s wing of Communist Party of India, YWCA, Indian Christian Women’s Movement, All India Progressive Women’s Association, Unity In Compassion, ANHAD and activists associated with various campaigns including Anjali Bharadwaj from Satark Nagrik Sangathan.Meanwhile a statement floated by the Coalition has so far been endorsed by over 1500 signatories including activists, lawyers, academics, students, former civil servants and concerned citizens from diverse walks of life.At a press conference in Delhi on Friday, Annie Raja from NFIW and other speakers asserted that women’s right to political representation cannot be indefinitely postponed by linking it to “unrelated and politically contentious” processes like delimitation or increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha. “We want the opposition to putforth this demand of the women forcefully in Parliament and demand that the govt bring a Bill to delink women’s reservation from census and delimitation. Women organisations have been meeting the MPs in their constituencies including those from the BJP to emphasise the need to implement women’s reservation at the current strength and without any further delay,” she said. Transparency activist Anjali Bharadwaj emphasised the need for transparency and demanded that if the govt was trying to The Coalition recounted the decades long national women’s movement demanding 33% reservation in Parliament and Assemblies. The first ever bill was introduced in 1996- 30 years ago. Finally when the Women’s Reservation Act was passed in 2023, it linked the issue of reservation with census and delimitation. Representatives of various organisations condemned the govt accusing it of using women’s reservation as a front for its political agenda of delimitation. “It is a matter of shame that less than 14% MPs are women and the figure across state assemblies is even more abysmal- 10%,” the Coalition said in its statement. “In 2023, when the Women’s Reservation Act [formally the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023] was passed, it deferred the implementation of women reservation till a census and delimitation were conducted. Many Members of Parliament and women’s collectives had questioned this conditional reservation. Had this condition not been imposed, 33% of MPs inthe current Lok Sabha would have been women,” the Coalition states. “It is clear that the government is using women’s reservation as a front to push its political agenda of delimitation and increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha. This was reconfirmed in 2026, when the government suddenly called a special session of Parliament to ostensibly pave the way for 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies from 2029, but did not delink women’s reservation from the politically contentious issue of delimitation,” they added. Activist Anjali Bharadwaj emphasised the need for transparency and demanded that if the govt was trying to bring back the delimitation bill then it must first put it up for public consultation as the provisions impacts everyone. “The promise of women’s representation continues to remain unfulfilled due to reservation being made conditional upon delimitation and census. This prolonged delay exposes a deep-seated patriarchal reality that systematically stalls women’s political empowerment,” the Coalition asserts in its statement. Prominent signatories include: actor Sharmila Tagore, Mallika Sarabhai (acclaimed dancer and activist), Syeda Hameed (National Federation of Indian Women), Zakia Soman (Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan), Zoya Hasan (professor emeritus JNU), Shabnam Hashmi (social activist), Najeeb Jung (former Lt. Governor of Delhi), Rajeev Dhyani – satirist, Aruna Roy (Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan), Harsh Mander (Karwan e Mohabbat) and Shailesh Gandhi (former Central Information Commissioner) among others.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosSupreme Court Drama: Petitioner Abuses CJI, Throws Papers; No Contempt Action TakenDevendra Fadnavis Clarifies ‘Bhade Ke Tattu’ Remark, Says He Will Call Critics ‘Hired Fools’Amit Shah Announces Smart Border Vision With Four-Pronged Security Grid40-Foot Illegal Pipeline Linked To IOCL Oil Network Found In Rajasthan; Police Probe Oil TheftThree-Fold Rise In Assam Budget: Aims At Uplifting People, Says CM Sarma’You Will Have To Kill Me’: Mamata’s Defiant Message As TMC Faces Major RebellionIRCTC Rolls Out Beta Website With Simpler Booking Experience; 4 Key Changes Explained’She Pleaded For Help, No One Listened’: What The CCTV Reveals About Jaipur Schoolgirl’s DeathIgnored Warnings Or Natural Calamity? Kerala Orders Probe Into Wayanad Landslide Tragedy’Exam Paper Came A Night Before’: UGC-NET Leak Trail, Whistleblower Tells His Story | Watch123PhotostoriesFrom Samosa to Bread Pakoda: Popular deep-fried snacks of India and their calorie count you should knowTop 6 most visited national parks in the USA every nature lover should experience once in their lifetimeHow Chanel No. 5 got its famous name: The story behind the iconic fragrance10 baby names that mean “miracle” in different cultures6 stunning red birds in India and where to find themIf your child says these 7 phrases often, psychologists say they’re asking for connectionAre you accidentally damaging your kidneys? Doctor reveals the common daily mistakes that can lead to silent kidney diseaseSreeleela and Kalyani Priyadarshan ace the Wimbledon dress code with timeless London fashion5 natural alternatives to collagen supplements for healthy hair and skinRed vs green vs yellow bell peppers: Who wins the nutrition face-off?123Hot PicksSIRBlake LivelyGurgaon EncounterCM VijayAlex PereiraPM ModiNico HischierStrait of HormuzSimone BilesTop TrendingGurgaon MonsoonAMU Seerat CertificateTelangana Techie Wife MurderFIFA World Cup 2026Weather TodayTS EAMCET Phase 1 seat allotmentRamesh MhatreDelhi NCR rainGurgaon EncounterIran war](https://vknewstoday.in/wp-content/uploads/1783715023_photo.jpg "Representative image NEW DELHI: Ahead of the monsoon session scheduled to start from July 20, a group of women organisations and activists under the banner of ‘National Coalition for Women’s Reservation’ have demanded “unconditional and immediate” implementation of 33% women’s reservation in the Parliament and state legislatures at the existing strength from the next round of elections. They have called upon the govt to bring a Constitutional Amendment Bill in the upcoming session to delink women’s reservation from census and delimitation. They have also sought that the opposition parties should support their demand and take up the issue in Parliament.The Coalition members are reaching out to all MPs in their constituencies to seek their support for their demands. They will be holding joint dharnas (demonstration) across the country on July 20-21 and have announced that they will hold daily dharnas from Monday to Friday throughout the monsoon session of Parliament in the Capital. The sit-in to be held at Jantar Mantar. A national conference with women MPs is also planned by the Coalition. Some of the organisations that are part of the coalition include All India Democratic Women’s Association, National Federation of Indian Women – the women’s wing of Communist Party of India, YWCA, Indian Christian Women’s Movement, All India Progressive Women’s Association, Unity In Compassion, ANHAD and activists associated with various campaigns including Anjali Bharadwaj from Satark Nagrik Sangathan.Meanwhile a statement floated by the Coalition has so far been endorsed by over 1500 signatories including activists, lawyers, academics, students, former civil servants and concerned citizens from diverse walks of life.At a press conference in Delhi on Friday, Annie Raja from NFIW and other speakers asserted that women’s right to political representation cannot be indefinitely postponed by linking it to “unrelated and politically contentious” processes like delimitation or increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha. “We want the opposition to putforth this demand of the women forcefully in Parliament and demand that the govt bring a Bill to delink women’s reservation from census and delimitation. Women organisations have been meeting the MPs in their constituencies including those from the BJP to emphasise the need to implement women’s reservation at the current strength and without any further delay,” she said. Transparency activist Anjali Bharadwaj emphasised the need for transparency and demanded that if the govt was trying to The Coalition recounted the decades long national women’s movement demanding 33% reservation in Parliament and Assemblies. The first ever bill was introduced in 1996- 30 years ago. Finally when the Women’s Reservation Act was passed in 2023, it linked the issue of reservation with census and delimitation. Representatives of various organisations condemned the govt accusing it of using women’s reservation as a front for its political agenda of delimitation. “It is a matter of shame that less than 14% MPs are women and the figure across state assemblies is even more abysmal- 10%,” the Coalition said in its statement. “In 2023, when the Women’s Reservation Act [formally the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023] was passed, it deferred the implementation of women reservation till a census and delimitation were conducted. Many Members of Parliament and women’s collectives had questioned this conditional reservation. Had this condition not been imposed, 33% of MPs inthe current Lok Sabha would have been women,” the Coalition states. “It is clear that the government is using women’s reservation as a front to push its political agenda of delimitation and increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha. This was reconfirmed in 2026, when the government suddenly called a special session of Parliament to ostensibly pave the way for 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies from 2029, but did not delink women’s reservation from the politically contentious issue of delimitation,” they added. Activist Anjali Bharadwaj emphasised the need for transparency and demanded that if the govt was trying to bring back the delimitation bill then it must first put it up for public consultation as the provisions impacts everyone. “The promise of women’s representation continues to remain unfulfilled due to reservation being made conditional upon delimitation and census. This prolonged delay exposes a deep-seated patriarchal reality that systematically stalls women’s political empowerment,” the Coalition asserts in its statement. Prominent signatories include: actor Sharmila Tagore, Mallika Sarabhai (acclaimed dancer and activist), Syeda Hameed (National Federation of Indian Women), Zakia Soman (Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan), Zoya Hasan (professor emeritus JNU), Shabnam Hashmi (social activist), Najeeb Jung (former Lt. Governor of Delhi), Rajeev Dhyani – satirist, Aruna Roy (Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan), Harsh Mander (Karwan e Mohabbat) and Shailesh Gandhi (former Central Information Commissioner) among others.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosSupreme Court Drama: Petitioner Abuses CJI, Throws Papers; No Contempt Action TakenDevendra Fadnavis Clarifies ‘Bhade Ke Tattu’ Remark, Says He Will Call Critics ‘Hired Fools’Amit Shah Announces Smart Border Vision With Four-Pronged Security Grid40-Foot Illegal Pipeline Linked To IOCL Oil Network Found In Rajasthan; Police Probe Oil TheftThree-Fold Rise In Assam Budget: Aims At Uplifting People, Says CM Sarma’You Will Have To Kill Me’: Mamata’s Defiant Message As TMC Faces Major RebellionIRCTC Rolls Out Beta Website With Simpler Booking Experience; 4 Key Changes Explained’She Pleaded For Help, No One Listened’: What The CCTV Reveals About Jaipur Schoolgirl’s DeathIgnored Warnings Or Natural Calamity? Kerala Orders Probe Into Wayanad Landslide Tragedy’Exam Paper Came A Night Before’: UGC-NET Leak Trail, Whistleblower Tells His Story | Watch123PhotostoriesFrom Samosa to Bread Pakoda: Popular deep-fried snacks of India and their calorie count you should knowTop 6 most visited national parks in the USA every nature lover should experience once in their lifetimeHow Chanel No. 5 got its famous name: The story behind the iconic fragrance10 baby names that mean “miracle” in different cultures6 stunning red birds in India and where to find themIf your child says these 7 phrases often, psychologists say they’re asking for connectionAre you accidentally damaging your kidneys? Doctor reveals the common daily mistakes that can lead to silent kidney diseaseSreeleela and Kalyani Priyadarshan ace the Wimbledon dress code with timeless London fashion5 natural alternatives to collagen supplements for healthy hair and skinRed vs green vs yellow bell peppers: Who wins the nutrition face-off?123Hot PicksSIRBlake LivelyGurgaon EncounterCM VijayAlex PereiraPM ModiNico HischierStrait of HormuzSimone BilesTop TrendingGurgaon MonsoonAMU Seerat CertificateTelangana Techie Wife MurderFIFA World Cup 2026Weather TodayTS EAMCET Phase 1 seat allotmentRamesh MhatreDelhi NCR rainGurgaon EncounterIran war")