Bhuvana Marni
Published on: October 14, 2022 at 23:07 IST
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday initiated suo moto proceedings to address the dangers of such games in light of the fact that young people are becoming hooked to graphic, violent online games, which can have major health effects.
Justices R. Mahadevan and J. Sathya Narayana Prasad of a division bench requested comments from Google and YouTube as well as the union, state, and local governments.
The court noted that the Center had prohibited various Chinese online games and applications in 2020 for security concerns. The games, however, were widely accessible and readily available.
Students in high school and college are becoming addicted to these games, which causes conflicts with their parents and siblings. The court noted that some kids may even steal money from their parents to improve the game, and some have even committed suicide due to their addiction to these games.
No governing body for calls and texts made through such online games existed. According to the court, antisocial individuals might easily connect through such games, access a person’s private accounts, take their personal information, and threaten them.
“The future of our nation is in the hands of the younger generation. They are the backbone for the development of our country in all fields, for which, they should be fit physically, psychologically, economically and socially.”
The judges observed adding that there was an emergent need to curb the menace of these types of online games.
The court demanded a response about controlling the use of VPN applications and regulating YouTube channels and stated that the Center and the State must present a concise report on how such online games are tolerated despite the government’s ban.
The court noted that videos on how to install illegal software and outlawed games were being posted.
The court also requested a statement from the central government about efforts to effectively enforce the game ban and to develop awareness programmes regarding the effects of playing such violent online games in all schools and universities.
The hearing in the case was adjourned by the court till October 27.