GS Paper 4 (Ethics)Ethics in social media use
You hold a responsible position in a ministry in the government. One day in the morning you received a call from the school of your 11-year-old son that you are required to come and meet the Principal. You proceed to the school and find your son in the Principal's office. The Principal informs you that your son had been found wandering aimlessly in the grounds during the time classes were in progress. The class teacher further informs you that your son has lately become a loner and did not respond to questions in the class, he had also been unable to perform well in the football trials held recently. You bring your son back from the school and in the evening, you along with your wife try to find out the reasons for your son's changed behaviour. After repeated cajoling, your son shares that some children had been making fun of him in the class as well as in the WhatsApp group of the students by calling him stunted, duh and a frog. He tells you the names of a few children who are the main culprits but pleads with you to let the matter rest. After a few days, during a sporting event, where you and your wife have gone to watch your son play, one of your colleague's son shows you a video in which students have caricatured your son. Further, he also points out to the perpetrators who were sitting in the stands. You purposefully walk past them with your son and go home. Next day, you find on social media, a video denigrating you, your son and even your wife, stating that you engaged in physical bullying of children on the sports field. The video became viral on social media. Your friends and colleagues began calling you to find out the details. One of your juniors advised you to make a counter video giving the background and explaining that nothing had happened on the field. You, in turn posted a video which you have captured during the sporting event, identifying the likely perpetrators who were responsible for your son's predicament. You have also narrated what has actually happened in the field and made attempts to bring out the adverse effects of the misuse of social media. (a) Based on the above case study, discuss the ethical issues involved in the use of social media. (b) Discuss the pros and cons of using social media by you to put across the facts to counter the fake propaganda against your family.
Based on 20 evaluated answers to this question on CollectorBabu: here is what aspirants most often missed, the mistakes that cost marks, and a model answer.
What most aspirants missed
- Violation of children's privacy and dignity by posting videos that identify minors, including the perpetrators named in the counter-video.
- Legal recourse under the IT Act, 2000 for cyberbullying and obscene or harmful content, and the cyber complaint route.
- Duty of care of the school in preventing and addressing bullying, and the need for an anti-bullying policy.
- Conflict between parental duty and professional responsibility as a government servant, including conduct rules on public statements.
- Proportionality of the response: whether the counter-video was a proportionate step compared with institutional complaint.
- Long-term psychological impact on the child and the permanence of digital footprints.
Common mistakes
- Treating part (a) as a list of generic social media issues rather than anchoring each point in the case facts.
- Ignoring the official's position: no discussion of conflict of interest, neutrality or conduct rules for government servants.
- Discussing the pros and cons of social media in general instead of the specific consequences for the son and the family.
- Ending with advice on what to do rather than analysing the ethical considerations of the actions in the case.
What the better answers did
- Anchoring each ethical issue to a specific event in the case, such as the WhatsApp group, the sports event video or the viral post.
- Identifying the privacy of minors and the legal framework, including the IT Act and child protection principles.
- Presenting institutional alternatives such as school authorities and the Cyber Crime Cell as the ethically preferred course.
- Using clear subheadings for parts (a) and (b) and keeping the analysis objective rather than personal.
Introduction
Open by framing the case as a clash between parental instinct, digital vigilantism and institutional accountability, then state the two ethical planes you will cover.
Conclusion
Close by stating that a proportionate response protects the child first and keeps the official's conduct above personal grievance.
Model answer
This case sets a parent's instinct to protect his son against the duty of a public servant to act with restraint. Social media turned a school bullying complaint into a public contest, and both the bullying and the counter-video raise ethical questions.
(a) Ethical issues in social media use
- Privacy and dignity of minors: the caricature videos and the WhatsApp mockery of the son were posted without consent and can leave a permanent digital footprint.
- Psychological harm: names like stunted and frog led to withdrawal, poor performance and loneliness, showing the lasting effect of online abuse on a child.
- Manipulation of facts and anonymity: a misleading video spread as fact, and anonymity emboldened its makers, while platforms show weak content moderation and accountability.
- Power imbalance and duty of care: adults and institutions hold power over children, and the school's duty of care to prevent bullying was not clearly discharged.
(b) Pros and cons of the counter-video
- Pro: a quick correction of false claims that restores family reputation and shows evidence from the field.
- Con: naming minors publicly breaches their privacy and may invite retaliation, widening the cycle of online abuse.
- Con: as a government servant, public posting may breach conduct rules on reticence and blur personal grievance with official position.
- Alternative: complaint to the school's anti-bullying committee, the police or the Cyber Crime Cell, and remedies under the IT Act, 2000, would have been more proportionate.
A proportionate response protects the child first, uses institutional channels before public confrontation, and keeps the official's conduct above personal grievance.
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Evaluate my answerMore GS Paper 4 (Ethics) questions
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