In a significant development, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has summoned Mira Chatt, YouTube’s Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy in India, on January 15. The summons follows the observation of certain videos on the platform depicting minors engaging in potentially indecent acts.
NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo expressed serious concerns about the content, particularly challenges on YouTube portraying acts involving mothers and sons. In an official letter, Kanoongo highlighted the potential harm to the well-being and safety of the children depicted in such videos, as well as the fact that the content is accessible to minors, raising significant concerns.
NCPCR chief Priyank Kanoongo writes to Mira Chatt, YouTube’s Head of Government Affairs & Public Policy, in lndia, asking her to appear before them in person on 15th January along with the list of all such challenges running on YouTube “portraying potentially indecent acts… pic.twitter.com/OyPUmt1389
— ANI (@ANI) January 10, 2024
The NCPCR chief has requested Chatt to provide a comprehensive list of all indecent challenges on YouTube involving mothers and sons and a list of channels on the platform that promote such challenges featuring minors.
This action comes in the wake of NCPCR closely monitoring YouTube content after a derogatory video of a mother and minor son surfaced on the platform, subsequently gaining traction and going viral on other social media platforms.
NCPCR asserts that such content poses a hazard to the overall growth and well-being of minors, emphasising the need for serious monitoring and intervention by relevant authorities. Priyank Kanoongo has mandated Chatt’s personal appearance before the Commission on January 15, indicating the gravity with which the NCPCR views the matter.
