NEW DELHI: Electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called on social media platforms to take greater responsibility for the content they carry, pressing them to explain how their algorithms work, protect children from harmful content and give users a better way to resolve complaints.Asked whether govt was considering withdrawing safe-harbour protection for social media companies, Vaishnaw left the question open. He said the internet had changed and platforms needed to act proactively on child safety, women’s safety and scams such as digital arrests, in which fraudsters pose as law enforcement officers.“Throughout the Parliament debates, we have maintained that social media should take responsibility for the content. They must take all the steps that are necessary for child safety,” he said.Vaishnaw linked child safety to what platforms show young users. He called for greater transparency about the algorithms that recommend content and said platforms should ensure children see material appropriate for them. He said the issue had implications for both their mental and physical health.The minister also questioned the options available to users when content on a platform causes serious harm. He said users often have little recourse beyond approaching the police or going to court and called for a more effective way for them to raise grievances and get them addressed.Vaishnaw said govt had repeatedly raised these concerns with social media companies. “There has to be a good, very effective mechanism by which citizens get a voice to address their grievances.”