Lok Sabha Question No. 4126 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-18
Subject: Viral Spread of Dangerous Online Games
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Nama Nageswara Rao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4126

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 18.03.2020

## VIRAL SPREAD OF DANGEROUS ONLINE GAMES

## 4126.       SHRI NAMA NAGESWARA RAO:

Will the Minister of Electronics & Information Technology be pleased to state :

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the spread of online games like skull breaker challenge, etc., which promotes self harm and suicide among kids and teenagers, and if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to ban the viral spread of such dangerous games; and
- (c) the details of action taken by the Government against social media giants who allow their platforms to be used for spreading such risky games which are a threat to public safety?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE)

(a) to (c): There had been media reports about alleged threats to the children due to dangerous online games like skull breaker challenge.

Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 provides for certain due diligence to be followed by Intermediaries failing which they would be liable. The Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011 notified under section 79 of the Act, inter alia , specifies that the intermediaries shall inform the users  of  computer  resource  not  to  host,  display,  upload,  modify,  publish,  transmit,  update  or  share  any information that is grossly harmful; harms minor in any way; violates any law for the time being in force; etc. Law  Enforcement  Agencies  take action under existing legal provisions for removal of malicious contents/materials and prosecuting the offenders.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued advisory on skull breaker challenge on 20.02.2020 to all social media platforms informing that such game severely impacts minors and advising social  media  platforms  to  expeditiously  remove  videos  performing/  attempting  skull  breaker  challenge  or influencing a child for skull breaker challenge. MeitY also advised social media platforms to run an online awareness campaign on their platforms to avoid such dangerous actions(s).

Government has  issued  guidelines  for  Safe  and  Effective  Use  of  Internet  and  Digital  Technologies  to  all Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools vide circular dated. 18.08.2017.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) sent an advisory related to online dangerous games to Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) on 7 th August 2017 and 13 th August 2018. The advisory contains best practices for parents and school teachers. Minister, MWCD wrote to principals of all the schools to take steps to address the issue of online dangerous games.

MeitY published an advisory regarding 'blue whale challenge' and published on its website (http://meity.gov.in/advisory-blue-whale-challenge-game) on 12 th September 2017. Ministry of Electronics & IT published another advisory regarding 'Momo challenge game' on its website on 27 th August 2018.

MeitY and CERT-In interacted with service providers and social media platforms regarding the steps to be taken to prevent users from falling prey to harmful online games.

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