Priyanka Gandhi Expresses Dissent Over OTT Content Regulation Recommendations

Last Updated:August 21, 2025, 09:48 IST

The Wayanad MP proposed strengthening self-regulation by enhancing parental controls and introducing more robust age-verification technologies.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra speaks during a debate in the Lok Sabha at the monsoon session of Parliament. (Image: Sansad TV/PTI)

Congress leader and first-time MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has recorded a dissenting note on a parliamentary panel report addressing cybercrimes, specifically criticising the recommendations concerning the regulation of OTT content. The report, presented in Parliament by the department-related standing committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs, proposes extensive measures on digital safety, emphasising the monitoring of online streaming platforms. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Radha Mohan Das Agarwal led the committee that tabled the detailed report in Parliament on Wednesday.

The Committee noted that OTT platforms have become a dominant source of entertainment in India, surpassing traditional cinema in reach and attracting large numbers of minors. While films are subject to pre-certification under the Cinematograph Act, OTT content is governed only by self-classification and post-release grievance redressal mechanisms under the IT Rules, 2021. The panel expressed concern that weak age verification and the absence of pre-release checks leave minors exposed to harmful material.

To address this, the Committee recommended creating a panel of experts – including child development specialists, educators, legal professionals, social scientists, and community representatives – to review flagged OTT content after its release. It also suggested stronger age-verification systems, more effective parental controls, and mandatory regional-language advisories to better safeguard audiences, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas. Furthermore, it called for closer coordination between government agencies, regulators, technology platforms, and civil society to build resilience against cyber challenges.

However, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra strongly disagreed with the proposal to push OTT content towards a system similar to film censorship. In her dissent note, she warned that such a move would risk infringing on the Fundamental Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression and would be impractical to implement.

“The sheer volume of OTT content – spanning films, series, videos, and reels – far outpaces traditional cinema. Routing all of this through a central board like the CBFC would create massive backlogs and make regulation virtually unworkable," she wrote in her note.

She further argued that mandatory pre-certification would not only hinder the ease of content distribution but also threaten the growth of the OTT sector, which has become a significant source of employment for young professionals.

Instead, the Wayanad MP proposed strengthening self-regulation by enhancing parental controls and introducing more robust age-verification technologies. She also suggested forming a joint stakeholder forum to draft culturally sensitive guidelines, backed by penalties for violations. Importantly, she highlighted that OTT platforms are already better regulated than other social media services, where minors are far more likely to encounter adult content.

Priyanka’s dissenting view within the panel underscores the growing debate over how India should balance cultural safeguards with freedom of expression in the rapidly expanding digital entertainment space.

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August 21, 2025, 09:48 IST

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