GS4 · UPSC Mains

You are a senior civil servant in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Your 17-year-old daughter, an intelligent and sensitive student of Class 12, has been an avid follower of popular influencers and motivational speakers. Recently, she became deeply interested in a popular podcast show hosted by a well-known social media figure, Kunal Bhalla. The show claims to champion "free thinking" and covers topics like hustle culture, masculinity, personal transformation, and anti-institutional narratives. Over time, your daughter's behaviour begins to change. She withdraws from academic interests, begins idolising internet influencers, and adopts rigid opinions about success, failure, and mental health. She starts rejecting family advice, refuses to appear for her board preparatory exams, and argues that "school is irrelevant in the age of free minds." Concerned, you and your spouse try to reason with her, but she accuses you of being "closed-minded." Matters come to head when you are alerted by your ministry's media monitoring cell about a viral video clip where your daughter is seen giving an interview on a fringe podcast platform, endorsing radical views on education, politics, and civil services. The clip drew public attention because of your designation, and journalists began speculating about a "generational rebellion" within the bureaucracy. Meanwhile, the influencer, Kunal Bhalla, publicly praises your daughter as "the new voice of youth dissent," but refuses to take accountability for his platform's role in shaping her worldview. Social media is split, some defend her right to free thought, while others accuse such influencers of normalising disrespect for institutions and romanticizing shallow intellectualism. Your colleagues advice silence, but your daughter now wants to drop out of school and intern with a podcast network. (a) What are the key ethical issues involved in the way "free thinking" is promoted by influencers on social media, especially for impressionable youth? (b) What should be the role of public figures in responding to the misuse or distortion of influential platforms in the name of free expression? (c) Suggest a policy framework or guidelines for responsible influencer content aimed at youth without curbing intellectual freedom. (20 marks, 250 words)

20 marks · 250 words · 5 toppers answered this

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