The Delhi High Court demanded on Wednesday that the Center clarify whether it is considering developing a policy aimed at regulating design elements in social media that can cause addiction, such as infinite scrolling and autoplay.
The court stated that it will review the petition in three weeks, which calls for the creation of an expert committee to study the features of social media platforms that promote engagement maximization and cause addiction.
When the Court asked the Center if it plans to formulate a policy on this matter, Deputy Secretary General Chetan Sharma stated that he has no specific instructions on this topic. He noted: 'You will receive instructions... and we will consider this issue in three weeks.'
During the hearings, the Center and some social media platforms objected to the admissibility of the petition, citing Supreme Court and High Court rulings that dismissed appeals on similar issues.
The petitioner, Vikas Katuria, emphasized that the problem lies not in the content carried by the platforms, but in how they are designed to induce addiction through infinite scrolling, autoplay, personalized feeds, notification systems, and likes.
