Bid Adieu to Social Media

In March this year, Karnataka was the first to institute a social media ban for children under the age of 16. Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Bihar are also considering a similar move.

- Jyotsna Sharma

I was talking to someone who said her shopping habits have become out of control because of Instagram.

Apparently, she wakes up in the morning and the first thing she does while sipping her tea is to scroll through her Instagram feed, where new products enchant her. Recently, she spent a packet buying jewellery that she probably wore not more than once, and clothes that her already stuffed closet gobbled up and were never seen after one wear. Not just this, during her morning Instagram ritual, she decided that she must have a vase and a candelabra, only to realise once they were delivered that she already had the exact same candelabra. “At least my taste is consistent”, she said to her annoyed family members.

Another person had her card compromised while shopping on a social media platform and spent days trying to correct this. A young mother said that her baby’s nanny was always on Snapchat; as a result, the baby’s care was being neglected. There is another person I know who was complaining about how their young child has learned unpleasant lingo from social media. One couple has to keep fending off requests for fancy products and vacations from their children, who are constantly on social media trying to see what their peers are up to.