Vaishnaw flags harm to kids from social media

NEW DELHI: Acknowledging widespread concerns over the adverse impact of social media on children, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday that it has become a major issue everywhere and time has come for all stakeholders to come together to build a consensus on how to deal with the challenge.

At Times Now Summit, Vaishnaw, who also holds I&B and railways portfolios, said this was a worry across the world, including in India. He noted that a judgment in the US flagged that addictive algorithms used by these platforms was hurting children.

To a question about the fallout of the West Asia conflict, he said it will have a significant impact across the globe, but asserted that the Indian economy is in a better condition than several others.

India has a "healthy" balance sheet, even compared to some rich countries, in terms of its debt to GDP ratio, which is 57%, he said. "Our growth story will give 6-8% real growth consistently for the next five years...We didn't start the war. We are facing collateral damage," he added.

Hitting out at opposition parties, especially Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, for their attacks on govt, he said India has never seen such a "low level" of opposition. He blamed their frustration over repeated losses in elections and a sense of entitlement for their barbs at PM Narendra Modi.

Referring to the shirtless protest by Youth Congress members at the AI Summit, he said, "Such low level of opposition is not what we have seen in any time of history. Our demo was hurt by this."



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