{"id":3910,"date":"2026-08-24T11:40:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T11:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/?p=3910"},"modified":"2026-08-26T11:48:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T11:48:27","slug":"social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

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SYLLABUS: <\/strong>General Studies \u2013 II: Governance, Social Justice, Education & Human Resource Development<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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IN NEWS: A civilisational approach to social media<\/p>\n

QUESTION: <\/strong>Should social media use by minors be regulated? Discuss the role of parents, schools and the government in ensuring responsible digital behaviour. (10 Marks | 150 Words)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The expansion of social media has created opportunities for learning, creativity, and socialisation<\/strong>, but also exposes minors to cyberbullying, harmful content, online predators, misinformation, and addiction<\/strong>. Therefore, India needs proportionate regulation rather than a blanket ban<\/strong>, complemented by social and educational interventions.<\/p>\n

Why Regulation is Necessary<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u27a4 Child protection:<\/strong> Protect minors from harmful content, exploitation, and cyberbullying.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Data privacy:<\/strong> The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023<\/strong> provides for verifiable parental consent<\/strong> for processing children’s data and restricts tracking and targeted advertising.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Platform accountability:<\/strong> Platforms should adopt age-appropriate design, privacy-by-default, and effective grievance redressal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Constitutional balance:<\/strong> Regulation must reconcile Article 21 \u2013 right to life and personal liberty<\/strong>, including privacy, with children’s safety and welfare<\/strong>, while respecting freedom of expression under Article 19(1)(a)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Role of Parents<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u27a4 Develop digital literacy<\/strong> and understand children’s online experiences.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Establish reasonable screen-time boundaries<\/strong> and encourage dialogue rather than excessive surveillance.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Teach privacy, consent, cyber ethics and responsible online conduct<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Example:<\/strong> The concept of sharenting<\/strong> highlights why parents themselves need awareness about children’s digital privacy.<\/p>\n

Role of Schools<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u27a4 Integrate digital citizenship and media literacy<\/strong> into education.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Develop critical thinking<\/strong> to identify misinformation, propaganda and algorithmic manipulation.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Provide counselling and awareness on cyberbullying, privacy and responsible AI\/social-media use<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Role of Government<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u27a4 Strengthen implementation of the DPDP Act, 2023<\/strong> and child-safety provisions.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Make technology platforms accountable for harmful content, data misuse and unsafe platform design<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Strengthen cybercrime reporting and grievance-redressal mechanisms.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Promote multi-stakeholder regulation<\/strong> involving parents, schools, civil society and technology companies.<\/p>\n

Global Best Practices<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u27a4 USA \u2013 COPPA, 1998:<\/strong> Requires parental consent before collecting personal information from children below 13.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 EU \u2013 GDPR:<\/strong> Establishes strong data-protection and privacy safeguards<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 UK \u2013 Age-Appropriate Design Code:<\/strong> Requires platforms to design services with children’s safety and privacy<\/strong> as priorities.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 France:<\/strong> Uses age restrictions with parental authorisation<\/strong>, coupled with penalties for non-compliance.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 South Korea:<\/strong> The experience of the Cinderella Law<\/strong>, eventually abolished in 2021, demonstrates the limitations of excessively restrictive approaches.<\/p>\n

Way Forward<\/strong><\/h3>\n

India should follow a \u201cregulate\u2013educate\u2013empower\u201d<\/strong> approach: regulate platforms, educate children and parents, and empower young people with critical thinking and digital resilience<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The objective should not be to isolate children from technology but to prepare them to navigate it responsibly<\/strong>. A combination of proportionate regulation, parental guidance, school-based digital literacy, and accountable platforms<\/strong> can create a safer digital ecosystem while preserving the benefits of technological innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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PYQ REFERENCE UPSC 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

Q. Child cuddling is now being replaced by mobile phones. Discuss its impact on the socialization of children. \u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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SOURCE: The Hindu e-paper : <\/strong>A civilisational approach to social media<\/a><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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