Age limit to start use of social media
The Australian government reportedly announced on Thursday that it would institute an age limit of 16 years for children to start using social media and other platforms like X, Tiktok, Instagram and Facebook. Spending time on social media has become a way of life for most adults, but is the habit healthy for children? Use of social media has some positive aspects. It helps to stay connected with friends and family. It enhances creativity by sharing ideas, music and art.
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Children can learn about current events. However, use of social media can lead to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. It can be addictive, and excessive use can lead to social isolation.
Excessive social media use can reduce physical activity, which can lead to feelings of loneliness. Through cyberbullying, kids can be teased or harassed online. Cyberbullying is considered the most common online risk for teens.
Social media can be a distraction from schoolwork. Children can be exposed to violence, pornography, and other dangerous content. There’s a lot of false and inaccurate information online that can mislead kids, with potentially harmful consequences.
In India, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) of 2023 sets the age limit for social media use at 18 years. The Act requires that companies obtain verifiable consent from a parent or guardian before processing the personal data of children under 18. However, there is no limit on how much time they can spend on social media.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Children need to be properly nurtured
November 14 is celebrated as Children’s Day in India and on this day I would like to emphasise the importance of welfare, education and a safe and happy childhood for children globally.
Children have a right to education, to enjoy their childhood playing, studying and eating, and not working as child labourers. We should abstain from hiring children as labourers of any kind. Parents also should try to be friendly with their children to understand their needs and respond to them in the best way possible.
I would also like to say that even children hold the responsibility to learn moral values from their parents, learn sincerely from their schools and to develop communicative, social and other personality skills by involving in various social, humanitarian and environmental events and campaigns. After all, the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow. The future of our nation is in our hands. Teaching starts at home and we, as parents, must realise that the onus is on us to provide the right environment and instill the proper teaching from the very start.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
Goa must avoid Mumbai’s mistakes!
I was in Mumbai recently and although there are positives like convenient/cheaper transportation, good/easily accessibility to services, great shopping malls, entertainment centres and good opportunities for jobs/businesses, I was really appalled at excessive pollution, which makes it difficult to breathe in good air; something Mumbaikars appear to feel as normal!
Despite economic growth and the availability of good health facilities, which should normally lead to an increase in life expectancy, Mumbaikars on average live to the age of 56.8 years and even if you take out the slums factor, it may go up a few years for the non-slum dwellers; but this also is significantly less that Goa, which is about 73.3 years!
In 2023, Mumbai was ranked the second-most polluted city in the world and in the same year 14 Indian cities were ranked in the world’s top 20 polluted city list!
For Mumbai in particular, the ongoing infrastructure projects are causing severe air pollution in the city. While the proliferation of real estate construction projects has been highlighted as a major source of pollution, activists argue that public infrastructure projects are equally responsible.
If one looks at the situation in Goa under the current “Double Engine BJP Government” is the latter policy (as in Mumbai) not also aggressively pursued by the Goa Ministers in “partnership” with real estate developers and land sharks!
It’s quite an open secret as to why ruling politicians, specific government officials/bureaucrats/municipal authorities/panchas etc are “over enthusiastic” about giving in so easily to the real estate lobby and I don’t need to give details/justification on the same!
Goans must seriously think as to whether they want to give up on clean air and lower life expectancy rates by allowing the mistakes of Mumbai to be replicated in Goa!
If the answer is no, then each of us has to pitch it at various levels of authority starting from panchayats, municipalities, local MLAs, Goa government ministers and use the various avenues available to put a stop to Goa moving towards becoming another Mumbai in terms of rising air pollution and reducing life expectancy; and this is not only for the current generation but also for the Generations to come!
The more Goans wake up and spend even a little time/effort I am convinced that we can address the menace!
Arwin Mesquita, Colva
India must learn linguistic democracy from USA
While United States of America ensures usage of multiple languages spoken in respective states of the country (as got reflected in the ballot papers used in the just concluded polls), the central powers of the conglomeration of States named India, are going all-out to “Hindi-ise” the whole nation by imposing the language of few northern States upon the whole multilingual heterogeneous country, that too often by discarding the indigenous language of the region concerned!
Thus when Bengali finds a respectable place in the ballot papers of New York, many centralised sectors in West Bengal have scandalously discarded all traces of the language of the soil Bengali!
India must try to learn from the USA what linguistic democracy is all about.
And “national unity” can never be achieved by painting the whole nation in a particular linguistic colour, rather that country attains the height of unity, democracy and respect towards diversity, which accord equal rights, respect and dignity and honour to each and every language spoken in the territory.
Kajal Chatterjee, Kolkata
