Maharashtra govt sets up task force to study social media impact on minors

Mumbai: The Maharashtra govt has constituted an expert task force to study the impact of social media use among minors and recommend regulatory measures and policy interventions.According to a govt resolution, the task force will examine patterns of social media use among those below 18 years and assess its impact on mental health, behaviour, education and social development. The panel will be chaired by the additional chief secretary/principal secretary of the school education and sports department, with the women and child development department serving as co-chair. Members include senior officials from the public health, information technology, law and judiciary, and home departments.The committee also includes representatives from academia and schools, including the associate dean of commerce and management at the University of Mumbai, the principal of Bombay Scottish School in Mumbai and the headmaster of a Marathi-medium school. Representatives from NGOs, the Indian Psychiatric Society and social media platforms are also part of the panel, while the director of the Directorate of Information Technology will serve as member secretary.Sunita George, principal of Bombay Scottish School, said the nature of online content is already affecting students' engagement in classrooms. "Quick, highly stimulated content is adversely impacting student attention and is making classroom engagement more challenging. The concern is excessive and unregulated use of social media by young children who are still developing self-control and cognitive control," she said.George added that schools are increasingly dealing with cyberbullying among students. "Most times it is happening silently in closed groups, in the form of memes and AI-generated deepfakes, which is difficult for schools to track," she said.The task force has been asked to submit its report with recommendations within three months.