On 6th January, a woman in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, filed a police complaint against a social media influencer after her children were allegedly exposed to obscene Instagram reels while using her phone at home. Her complaint led to the registration of an FIR at the Cyber Crime Police Station. The incident has once again raised concern over unregulated content on platforms like Instagram, which are accessed by children without many restrictions. OpIndia accessed the FIR in the matter.
According to the complaint, the woman noticed a vulgar reel appear on her phone while her children were scrolling through Instagram. She immediately took away the phone and checked the profile, only to discover that the same influencer had uploaded multiple such reels. All of the reels were obscene, sexually suggestive, and harmful for children.
OpIndia checked the profile of the influencer and found that she runs two accounts simultaneously. Both accounts have a large following on Instagram (over 1.2 lakh on one and over 2.5 lakh on second) and generate crores of views on her reels. Furthermore, she also has over 10,000 followers on Facebook. The influencer also runs an app where she shared “exclusive” content and charge money for one-on-one conversations.
The complainant has demanded strict action. She stated that such content is freely accessible to minors and is having a corrosive impact on young minds.
FIR details
As per the FIR accessed by OpIndia, the complaint has been filed by Ruby Tomar, based on which the FIR was registered under Section 296(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which pertains to publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form. While the accused has been listed as unknown, the FIR mentions an Instagram account where the reels are being posted.
The incident that led to the complaint
The complainant, Ruby Tomar, lives within the Tajganj police station limits and supplies Ayurvedic medicines in Agra. In her statement, Ruby said that on 4th January, she visited a beauty parlour to supply products, where she found the owner of the beauty parlour watching an obscene video on Instagram. She objected to the content and stated that such reels have a negative impact on children and society.
The next day, her own children were scrolling through Instagram on her phone at home in her presence. She noticed that the same influencer’s reel appeared on her phone. Alarmed, she quickly took away the phone from the children. Later, she checked the profile of the influencer and noticed that all uploaded reels were obscene in nature.
She further alleged that the videos contained vulgar gestures, indecent audio, and crude comments directed at women. She also stated in her complaint that the influencer appeared to be deliberately producing sexually explicit content to gain views and followers.
Growing concern over unregulated obscene content on Instagram
The Agra case has once again highlighted how serious the problem of freely available obscene content on social media platforms is. Instagram and other platforms host sexually explicit and vulgar content that is widely available without effective age filters. While these platforms claim that strict community guidelines are in place, such content often appears on users’ feeds. Notably, these accounts are not explicitly marked as adult.
There are children and teenagers who form a significant portion of Instagram’s user base in India. This specific group of users is vulnerable and may become addicted to such content. Algorithms designed to maximise engagement often end up pushing provocative reels into timelines, regardless of the viewer’s age or intent. Parents are increasingly finding it difficult to shield their children from such material, even when basic precautions are taken.
The wider issue is not limited to one influencer or one FIR. There are several such users on Instagram who post similar content, and Instagram’s algorithm is designed in such a way that if a user starts consuming a particular type of content from one account, the platform begins pushing similar content from other accounts.
Social media platforms have allowed a culture where obscenity is normalised in the name of “reels”, “trends”, and “engagement”. In the absence of mandatory age verification, robust content filtration, and swift action against influencers who violate the law, such content will continue to appear on the timelines of youngsters, affecting their minds in deeply unhealthy ways.
Platforms often turn a blind eye, and the burden falls on parents and law enforcement agencies. However, policing individual accounts is not feasible and is not a sustainable solution. India urgently needs a system that ensures accountability quickly and effectively. In this case as well, it has been almost ten days, and the content remains freely available on social media from the account against which the complaint has been filed.
What parents should do beyond limiting screen time
When it comes to protecting children from vulgar and sexually explicit content, reducing screen time is not enough. Parents need to actively engage with their children’s digital presence. They must have regular conversations in which they encourage children to talk about what they watch online, whom they follow, and what makes them uncomfortable. These conversations should be calm, and parents must not be judgemental, so that children feel safe while sharing their experiences.
Furthermore, there must be clear rules and routines around screen use. These should be applied consistently across the household. When boundaries are predictable and fair, children are more likely to accept them as part of daily life rather than viewing them as punishment. Parents should encourage children to engage in offline activities such as sleep, play, study, and family time.
It is also essential that parents reduce their own screen time. Excessive phone use by adults normalises unhealthy behaviour for children. Most importantly, children must be taught that not all online content is appropriate or safe, and that they should immediately inform a trusted adult if they encounter disturbing, sexual, or harmful material online.
