This blog is written by Adwita Arya, a Third- Year law student of the Chotanagpur Law College Ranchi

Introduction

As country is in stage to achieve the threshold limit in modernization, things are rapidly changing is economically, socially and politically. Due to such changes the cultural shifts by westernization and urbanization have influencing India i.e. a developing state to accept and grown from all the developed states across the world, we have reached so far due to such influence but things always come in two dimensional spheres, one is positive and another is negative vision.

Through this blog we are going to discuss how such acceptance of urbanization and westernization impacting the basic things from a developing state.

What are resolving methods and how to be least impacted of menace, creating by the product of such western or urban influence with sensitivity and flexibility of state.

Impact of hook-up culture and absurd contents restrictive to below 18 years people

Before scrutinizing the impact of the hook-up culture and contents deemed to be restrictive under the guardship of legislation in India, the meaning must be clued-up to the audience of the said terms “hookup culture & Absurd 18 plus contents

What culture is said to be “hook-up culture”?

Hookup- culture is a practice which encourages casual sexuality between two or more individuals without commitments of establishing matrimonial home i.e. marriage along with the eradication of romantic feelings among themselves.

What is meant by 18+ contents?

Contents which are extreme, surreal, bizarre in nature that can be shocking confusing or grotesque which explicit threat to societal norms or psychology which perceives such contents.

Sexual contents, Violence, Substance Abuse Language, Gambling Extreme Horror & mature themes.

The increasing significance of above contexts in India is driven by easiest access to internet, exposure to global trends, social media and various OTT platforms.

The objective of the blog is in exploring and critically examining the psychological, emotional and societal impacts of hookup culture and exposure to 18+ contents on young mind through raising awareness about the destruction of psychological and societal norms as well as rising crimes due to influence of such practices.

IMPACTS OF HOOKUP CULTURE AND ADULT CONTENTS ON YOUNG MINDS

In India the emergence of casual sex and adult contents are leading various legal, psychological and societal challenges these may include rising of criminal as well as civil cases, mental destruction and shifting of cultural norms.

Legal disputes

The foremost concern is about legal disputes which is not inherently affecting but somehow implications are creating legal disputes due to normalization of casual sex culture and unfiltered contents through social media and OTT platforms by the rising effect of vulgarity, abuse, open sexual scenes and violence.

· Rape and Sexual assault: Hookup culture has created complexities in cases related to sexual consent. Unclear communication of consent leads to allegations of sexual assault.

In 2016, National Crime Record Bureau recorded 10,068 cases of rape, out of which 7655 cases were by known persons on pretext of marriage. Hookup culture is creating consensual sexual intercourse which is a crime under Section 69 of BNS which criminalize after making promises to marry and desertion of women after making sexual intercourse.

Impact of adult contents are also contributory in creating menace over young and unconscious minds. Promotion of Hookup culture and vulgarity through various entertainment media and dating apps has risen the perplexities of legal disputes.

· False Allegations, Extortion and blackmail: With increment of hookup culture, the cases of false allegations, extortion and blackmail regarding sexual molestations exceeds with creation of complexities in prevailing justice.

Uncensored contents and nudity over social media created by some pages are executing extortion and blackmail after selling sexual contents through video or textual chats.

· Adultery and Abandonment of children: Marriage between two parties is not an act of availing the sexual benefits but also render strict codifications to every religion in protecting rights of both the parties as well as children coming out of such marriage.

Hindu marriage Act guards the rights of persons indulging in matrimonial relationship and provide protection to custody of children after separation from matrimonial relationship. Casual intimation leading by hookup culture is threat to women’s safety and maintenance of child born out of such illegitimate intimacy.

The purpose of marriage is affected by adultery as well which increasing divorce rates at hike.

Psychological impact

Research shows that repeated exposure to sexual content in beginning age lead issues of poor mental health condition like anxiety, depression and lower self-esteem.

18+ content often reinforces effect of gender stereotypes, such as the objectification of women or the portrayal of men as aggressive. Such sketched portraits perceived by young minds limit and biased the gender roles and relationship which vanishes balance of respect.

Normalizing hook-up culture create psychological peer pressure to have casual sexual experiences, which in contradiction to societal acceptance and urge to fit as “cool” in the generation leading guilt, shame, or confusion.

Cultural and sociological impact

India is a multinational, multilingual and multi-ethnic society which serves the concept of marriage as the pious bond strengthening the better human life by providing psychological, financial support and maintain safe environment to raise new lives. Every cultural norm brought up from long evolution is essential in values to apply in long term societal needs which has incarnated by legislation in India.

All cultural beliefs are result of long-term faith and practices created by large groups or society. Embodying casual sexual relationships as modernity will impact harsh on cultural values, which acceptance is going to procced through whole upcoming generation, impacting cultural and sociological values to whole extinction.

Nowadays social media has blurred the line between acceptable and inappropriate contents, presenting absurd and explicit contents to younger minds which conflicts among cultural and religious value of nation. Losing cultural identity by which India “The Bharat” is known for. The culture taught us to value different relationships irrespective of objectification which is occupying the minds through explicit materials on internet and various entertainment

Exposure to any contents which has ability to manipulate teens or sensitive minded adults belonging to rural areas where information is perceived in massive form through the social media or various OTT platforms establishing every delicate thing as subject of “entertainment”. Acceptance of absurd and false news creating menace, contradictions in traditional cultural values to modern cultural values due to peer pressure.

So, it has been seen numerous impacts by normalization of hook-up culture and easily accessible adult contents in which impacts over:

· Legal disputes (criminal as well as civil)

· Psychological

· Cultural and sociological

are prime concern of consequences.

Legal framework and responsibility

In India strict regulatory Laws are enacted in protection from severe consequences establishing by the causality of intimacy and availability of explicit materials to younger generations.

Applicable laws are:

· Information technology Act 2000: Under IT Act 2000 the provisions are stated under Section 67A and Section 68B which penalize convicts for imprisonment up to 3-5years and fine may extend to 5-10 lakh rupees in publishing or transmitting sexually explicit material.

Section 68 B deals with issues related to child pornography and dissemination of such material.

· The Protection of children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, 2012 contains specific provisions in protecting minors from exposure to adult content, related to child pornography and the exploitation of children in sexuality matters.

According to Section 13 of POSCO Act 2000, any person uses in any form of media for the purpose of sexual gratification, weather visual, written, or digital, will be guilty of offense.

Section 14 provides the punishment with imprisonment up to

5-7 years along with fine. For aggravated offences the punishment can range from 10 years to life imprisonment along with fine.

· Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986

Prohibits the representation of women in indecent or disrespectful manner through advertisements, books, pamphlets, films, writings, and other forms of media.

The term “indecent” defined under said Act as portrayal of women’s figure, body, or form in a manner that is derogatory, depraved, or likely to corrupt public morals and advertisement of such contents or derogation fall under prohibition by the provisions of act. And such act by offender lead to imprisonment of up to 5 years, or a fine extending to 2,000 Rupees, or both.

For subsequent convictions, the imprisonment can extend up to five years, with fine of up to 10,000 Rupees.

Any contents which promote the indecent activity like derogation and objectification of women in any manner through media is subject to prohibition.

· Under Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita the concept of “Obscenity” is incarnated through the old IPC provisions under Section 292 and Section 293 into Section 296 and Section 295 of the new Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita Act, which penalises for up to three months in prison, and fine of up to one thousand rupees or both by offending through sales, exhibition, publications, etc. of any obscene material in form of songs, words or act in public.

Section 295, which is important provision related to the concept of impact of 18+ contents among young minds, which covers selling, distribution, or exhibiting obscene objects to children. Punishment for this offence is up to three years in prison and a fine of up to two thousand rupees for a first conviction. For subsequent conviction, the imprisonment is up to seven years and fine up to five thousand rupees.

However above contexts are not meant to address directly the Hook-up culture and 18+ content over different forms of media but harsh consequences which arose from such practises shall be addressed by these above statutes to contradictory act relating to crimes against women and children.

Control

Ethics and education beyond text are important roles to be surpassed by the guardians of young people as well as educational institutes in guiding them. Exposure to such malpractices leads deleterious effects as stated above through this blog. A regulatory check up by the guardian, educational institute and different platforms of media, influencers and teaching processes are pivotal to differentiate among appropriate and inappropriate things accepted in name of modernity peer pressure.

Reforms and recommendation

As impacts are visualizing in increment positions, reforms and access of control must be taken by the legislation to prevail the impacts arising in acceptance of hook-up culture and un filtered contents over media which is consumed by younger generation in easiest forms.

Filters and censorship should must be authorised by the legislation and superior authority over consumption of such culture and material to run a better human race in achieving the better intellectual India.

Conclusion

Young minds are “backbone” of state in surpassing the development as well as creating history to be influenced. As the fact cannot be denied that urbanization and modernization has dominantly structured the concept of development in India but the fact also cannot be denied that cultural of traditions has accepted since time where the people were unknown about modernity and urbanization. So,the balance is crucial to keep things intellectual of India that is Bharat.

References

· https://www.nls.ac.in/blog/bharatiya-nyaya-sanhita-decolonising-or-reinforcing-colonial-ideas/

· https://slspotlight.com/opinion/2023/03/17/hookup-culture-harms-physical-and-mental-health/#:~:text=Another%20study%20found%20that%2078,than%20those%20who%20had%20not.

· https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9914293/

· https://blog.ipleaders.in/is-watching-porn-a-crime-in-india-an-insight/#References