New Delhi: A public interest litigation has been filed before the Delhi High Court seeking regulation of social media features that the petitioner alleges are designed to encourage excessive and addictive use, particularly among children and young people.
The petition, Dr. Vikas Kathuria v. Union of India & Ors, has been filed by Dr Vikas Kathuria, a Professor at BML Munjal University’s School of Law. The matter is listed before a Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.
The PIL has also sought compensation from Meta, Google, Telegram, X and Snapchat, alleging that certain platform features contribute to addiction and related mental health concerns. These are allegations made in the petition and have not been adjudicated by the court.
Petition Flags Concerns Over Platform Design
According to the plea, several commonly used features of social media platforms can encourage users to remain engaged for prolonged periods.
The petition specifically points to:
- Infinite or continuous scrolling
- Autoplay of content
- Algorithmically personalised feeds
- Frequent notifications
- Engagement indicators such as “likes”
- Other features designed to capture and retain user attention
The petitioner contends that these features are not merely incidental elements of platform design but are deliberately engineered to maximise engagement and advertising revenue.
“The aforesaid features are not the incidental by-product of engineering convenience but are deliberate design choices, consciously engineered to maximise user engagement and thereby advertising revenue without any regard to the psychological and physiological consequences visited upon the users,” the petition states.
Seeks Expert Committee on Addictive Features
The petitioner has asked the Central government to constitute an expert committee to examine the design and functioning of social media features that may contribute to excessive use.
The proposed committee would examine the issue and recommend measures for addressing the potential impact of such features on users, particularly young people.
The PIL has sought directions to the government and other authorities to:
- Examine potentially addictive design features.
- Restrict, prohibit or regulate such features where necessary.
- Develop safeguards for children and young users.
- Address the mental health consequences allegedly associated with excessive social media use.
Plea Seeks Mental Health Redressal Fund
Another key prayer in the petition is the creation of a mental health redressal fund to address the alleged psychological impact of addictive social media design.
The petitioner has also sought compensation from the technology companies named in the PIL for the alleged addiction and mental health problems associated with their platform features.
Focus on Children and Young Users
The petition raises particular concerns about prolonged and excessive social media use among children and young persons.
It argues that platforms’ attention-retention mechanisms can affect users’ mental health, well-being and development.
The case comes amid wider policy and legal debates over how digital platforms should balance user engagement with safeguards for mental well-being and vulnerable users.
The PIL was filed through advocates Kartika Sharma, Harsha Sadhwani and Subhika Joshi.
Read Also: Delhi High Court Clarifies Rules On Hiring Amid Allegations Of Exam Malpractice
