Social Media And Best Interest Of The Child

What kind of social defence do we have for the social media? It socializes and influences to an increasingly greater extent. And its impact seems to become bigger compared to “real life” social relations. It seems impossible for parents and teachers to monitor their children online. I was watching a televised debate on National Television DD News this week about a news story published in a Daily news paper: “Close Facebook accounts now, Bangalore school tells its kids”.

It was interesting to see how the decision of the school triggers a national debate in the best interest of the child. Questions raised during the debate were for instance: Should we just leave it to the child and let him/her decide? When does a virtual boundary cross the social boundaries and harms the child?

Teenagers in India (and across the world) increasingly live in a virtual and socially disconnected world of their own without realizing that any act of theirs on facebook has real consequences outside the virtual realm.

On this televised debate all the panelists felt a strong need to debate, discuss and counsel the peers at school and family.

I think it’s crucial to improve teenagers media literacy to empower them and make them informed that online behavior has impact on their personal life in the real world, too.

A related recent event from Gurgoan Delhi NCR comes to my mind immediately, where more than 100 school kids were caught using alcohol at Gurgaon pub:http://www.iogt.org/indiaupdate/117/social-media-and-best-interest-of-the-child/

Comments

Strengthening Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Members in Safeguarding Children from Tobacco and Substance Use in Bihar

Neha CWC member shared her son's aspirations to become Prime Minister to ban tobacco, shedding light on the need to strengthen tobacco control laws. Recommendations included raising the legal age for tobacco consumption to 21 and enforcing stricter regulations around educational facilities. Sumit Prakash Chairperson , CWC, Purnia , Bihar Suneel& Sumit The recent training workshop in the Nipccd Delhi Conference Hall on the Role of Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in addressing substance use among children in Bihar, organized by @NIPCCD_MWCD, witnessed a dynamic exchange of ideas and experiences. The blog highlights key discussions and notable moments during the event. Diving into Current Initiatives: Led by Suneel Vatsyayan, a seasoned life coach and trainer, the Nada India Foundation workshop delved into the existing efforts undertaken by the CWC to address substance abuse among children. Participants shared both success stories and challenges encountered, underscoring the si

Training of recovering addicts and their family members as peer support educators: An Indian experience

Published in Contemporary Social Work Vol. XVII. April, 2000 TRAINING OF RECOVERING ADDICTS AS PEER SUPPORT EDUCATORS : AN INDIAN EXPERIENCE SUNEEL VATSYAYAN* T.K. THOMAS** Navjyoti or “New light” emerged in 1987 as a step towards crime prevention. The idea originated from its dynamic founder, the Magasaysay Award recipient Dr. (Mrs.) Kiran Bedi I.P.S. Navjoyti Delhi Police Foundation for correction,De-addiction and Rehabilitation , a non-governmental, non-profit and voluntary organisation is primarily engaged in the efforts to treat and rehabilitate addicts and offer comprehensive programmes for co-dependents (family members of the drug addicts). From make-shift drug treatment centres in six police stations in North Delhi till 1990, Navjyoti today has become a full fledged drug treatment and rehabilitation centre. For Navjyoti it has been a decade of trials, challenges tears, smiles and above all learning. The dedicated band of trained workers, counsellors, yoga experts, peer s

Recovery from drug addiction: Peer action network for trauma-related to drugs, HIV/AIDS, violence and crime

Peer Action Network for trauma-related to drugs, HIV/AIDS, violence and crime Drug abuse has been prevalent in our society for long. Excessive usage of drugs leads to addiction and increased dependency on them, apart from causing physical ailments. The extent and usage of drugs spans from rural population to the urban, from defence to prison population and from adolescents to the aged. Drug consumers range demographically, socially, economically and in gender as well. In spite of various awareness programmes by Govt. and NGOs indicating the repercussions on an individual and society, drug abuse continues to plague our society as a disease and the path to recovery for the addicted is full of hurdles. Relapse is a step which no one can evade during the recovery process. For any recovering person, motivation and guidance are the two major pre-requisites. And who other than peer group can fulfil this requirement more effectively and efficiently. Peer based initiatives It is so because o

Network for Peer led Drug and Alcohol Prevention

Search This Blog