Smriti Irani advises Meta to organise digital safety programs in rural India

New Delhi: Social media giant Meta has organised a Digital Suraksha Summit in the national capital to enhance women and youth security and safety on its social media platforms.
Union minister for women and child development (WCD) Smriti Irani, Meta Global and India's head for safety and policy have attended the summit. At the event, Union Minister Smriti Irani advised the Meta team to organise such digital safety programs in rural areas.
"Regarding the safety of women and youth on digital platforms, I request you to organise digital safety summits in rural areas as well as in the capital and put a safety layer for youth," she said at the event on Monday.
The Union Minister further asked the Meta team to actively pursue child safety issues on Meta App and helpline number 1098 to save children from any untoward incidents.
She said the children must be sensitized through digital literacy initiatives.
Over the past several years, Meta has developed many tools and taken various initiatives to provide a safe online experience for teens and families.
"Keeping women and teens safe online is an industry-wide challenge, and we are committed to being a part of the solution. We take comprehensive steps to ensure the safety of women and teens not just on our platform, but online. We have policies and technology in place to safeguard women and teens, we offer tools to users, like blocking, comment filters and reporting," Antigone Davis, Vice President, Global Head of Safety, Meta, said.
As more and more youth use its platform to express themselves, Meta said it has partnered with the Ministry of Women and Child Development to launch a campaign, which will encourage young people, many of whom are aspiring creators to express their views for the future.
"Meta remains committed to driving digital inclusion in India through various programs and initiatives. Today, millions of women-led businesses and teens use our apps to express their authentic selves. For these women and teens to continue experiencing a platform that is enabling and empowering, there is a need to make online spaces safer. We are committed to building tools and resources that will make our apps and the internet more secure and inclusive," Sandhya Devanathan, Vice President, Meta (India). (ANI)