SC judge warns against threats of AI misuse for children

He expressed concerns about the increasing dependency of children on AI and the lack of guidelines to regulate access.

Hyderabad: Supreme Court judge Justice Vikram Nath, on Saturday, October 3, warned against the threats and increasing dependency on Artificial Intelligence (AI) among children.

Pointing out the lack of guidelines to regulate access, he said this can heighten the risk of children being exposed to cyberbullying, grooming and sexual abuse due to unrestricted access to AI.

Delivering a keynote address at the South Zone Regional Conference on “Enhancing Access to Justice for Children in Cyberspace: Preventing Online Sexual Exploitation and Strengthening Child-Friendly Justice and Protection” in Hyderabad, Justice Nath said the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and other technologies had created new challenges for child protection.

Nath is also executive chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). He said institutions and society must anticipate emerging threats instead of waiting for children to become victims.

The conference was also attended by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, four other Supreme Court judges, Chief Justices of southern High Courts and judges of the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh High Courts.

Child welfare should not be seen merely as a welfare issue but as an investment in nation-building. There is a greater need for digital literacy among children, parents and.

Meghwal then called for legal processes to be made more accessible and child-friendly, emphasising both ease of access to justice and ease of understanding.

The conference brought together four Supreme Court judges, Chief Justices of southern High Courts, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, and judges of the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh High Courts.

Meghwal said child welfare should not be seen merely as a welfare issue but as an investment in nation-building.

Meghwal stressed the need for trained legal-aid lawyers and trauma-informed, gender-responsive assistance under NALSA’s child-friendly legal services framework.

He also called for better coordination with initiatives such as Nyaya Bandhu, Tele-Law and One Stop Centres.