Protecting children from social media
Kudos to Australia for becoming the first country to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media. The stated aim is to protect vulnerable children from the psychological and social harms associated with algorithm-driven platforms. The ban has its fair share of supporters — many parents and children’s advocates — and detractors such as major technology companies and votaries of free speech. In fact, social media has a harmful impact on children, and Australia’s decision to ban it reflects concerns that many parents, psychologists, and governments have been raising for years. There is no dearth of research that highlights harmful effects of the overuse of social media on children. Their mental health is being impacted by misinformation, cyberbullying, body shaming, pornography, etc. The world will now watch Australia closely. The outcomes of this policy will help determine whether such bans offer genuine protection or whether they create new problems in an already fraught digital landscape. If the ban proves effective—without creating privacy or enforcement problems—other nations may indeed follow suit.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Reach of a conman
The Goa Police had been directed to return 31 laptops donated earlier this year by a man who was arrested by the Maharashtra Police on December 7 for allegedly cheating a Zaveri Bazaar jeweller of Rs 2.8 crore. The fraudster had posed as an officer from the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office to carry out the alleged fraud. He had earlier gained attention in Goa after meeting Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in April this year and donating the laptops to the Goa Police presenting them as part of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. Under direction, the Goa police have now stopped using the laptops donated by the impersonator and returned them. The fraudster and an accomplice were earlier arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in a gold trading case. The impersonator was on the radar of the Mumbai Police following the complaint of the jeweller. How the impersonator got access to the office of the Chief Minister of Goa is a mystery. How come no one suspected him? The laptops that have been returned will most probably be destroyed. Instead of destroying these laptops, they could be distributed among the needy students in the schools after deleting all the matter from the hard disk.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Accountability on inferno
The tragic Arpora fire, which claimed 25 lives, has shocked Goa and drawn national and international attention. In response, people in authority have issued sympathetic statements and staged public gestures; government officials have been suspended to defuse public anger and create the impression of firm action. However, there is strong reason to believe that these suspensions will quietly be reversed once public focus shifts, and that the owners and promoters of the illegal nightclub will face prosecution. It is unlikely that government officials would have allowed such an illegal structure to operate without the support or involvement of higher-ups. If the investigation is pursued seriously and severe penalties are imposed on officials and the nightclub’s promoters, it could expose people those responsible for the illegality. This risk raises doubts about whether true accountability will ever be delivered.
Arwin Mesquita, Colva
Relevance of Goa’s ZPs
Although central law mandates zilla panchayats (ZPs) in Goa, their relevance in such a small state is questionable. The limited jurisdiction makes it difficult for ZPs to function as a truly distinct tier of governance. For many, ZP elections simply offer an alternative route for aspiring politicians who fail to secure party tickets, especially since the cost of contesting is relatively low. However, Independents rarely gain public trust, as voters believe they are vulnerable to defection. With minimal financial allocation and very limited development scope, ZPs end up serving more as symbolic positions than meaningful offices. Given Goa’s small size, zilla panchayats appear unnecessary, and the public expenditure on them amounts to a waste.
Nelson Lopes, Chinchinim
Vitamin M factor
Crime and corruption often stem not only from greed but also from a lack of vision and low intellectual maturity. Anyone with even moderate intelligence understands that life should be driven by meaningful purpose, not by the pursuit of money, luxury, and power. Yet many individuals in public life fall into shallow ambitions, nurturing sycophancy and acting as though they are indispensable. By electing such leaders, we have effectively cast our pearls before swine. Our political class would benefit from exposure to the richer aspects of life—music, literature, sports, film, science, and technology—which might help them realise how deeply they are trapped in the pursuit of ‘Vitamin M’.
Diomedes R Pereira, Corlim
