GS Paper IV — Q12
You hold a responsible position in a ministry in the government. One day in the morning you received a call from the school of…
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.
Based on the above case study, discuss the ethical issues involved in the use of social media.
Discuss the pros and cons of using social media by you to put across the facts to counter the fake propaganda against your family.
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
सरकार के एक मंत्रालय में आप जिम्मेदार पद पर हैं। एक दिन सुबह आपके 11 साल के बेटे के स्कूल से फोन आया कि आपको प्रिंसिपल से मिलने आना है। आप स्कूल गए और अपने बेटे को प्रिंसिपल के कार्यालय में देखा। प्रिंसिपल ने आपको सूचित किया कि जिस समय कक्षाएं चल रही थीं, उस समय आपका बेटा मैदान में बेमतलब घूमता हुआ पाया गया था। कक्षा-शिक्षक आपको बताते हैं कि आपका बेटा इधर अकेला पड़ गया है और कक्षा में सवालों का जवाब नहीं देता है, वह हाल ही में आयोजित फुटबॉल ट्रायल में भी अच्छा प्रदर्शन करने में असमर्थ रहा है। आप अपने बेटे को स्कूल से ले आते हैं और शाम को अपनी पत्नी के साथ बेटे के बदलते व्यवहार के कारणों के बारे में जानने की कोशिश करते हैं। बार-बार मनाने के बाद, आपके बेटे ने साज़ा किया कि कुछ बच्चे कक्षा में और छात्रों के व्हाट्सएप ग्रुप में उसे बौना, मूर्ख और मेंढक कहकर उसका मज़ाक उड़ा रहे थे। वह आपको कुछ बच्चों के नाम बताता है जो मुख्य दोषी हैं लेकिन आपसे मामले को शांत रहने देने की विनती करता है।
कुछ दिनों बाद, एक खेल आयोजन के दौरान, जहाँ आप और आपकी पत्नी अपने बेटे को खेलते हुए देखने गए थे, आपके एक सहकर्मी का बेटा आपको एक वीडियो दिखाता है जिसमें छात्रों ने आपके बेटे का व्यंग्यचित्र बनाया है। इसके अलावा, वह उन दोषी बच्चों की ओर इशारा करता है जो स्टैंड में बैठे थे। आप जान-बूझकर अपने बेटे के साथ उनके पास से गुजरते हैं और घर लौटते हैं। अगले दिन, सोशल मीडिया पर आपको, आपके बेटे को और यहाँ तक कि आपकी पत्नी को भी बदनाम करने वाला एक वीडियो मिलता है, जिसमें कहा गया है कि आप खेल के मैदान पर बच्चों को शारीरिक रूप से परेशान करने में लगे हुए हैं। वीडियो सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल हो गया। आपके मित्रों और सहकर्मियों ने पूरा विवरण जानने के लिए आपको फोन करना शुरू कर दिया। आपके एक जूनियर ने आपको एक जवाबी वीडियो बनाने की सलाह दी जिसमें पृष्ठभूमि दी जाए और बताया जाए कि मैदान पर कुछ भी नहीं हुआ है। बदले में आपने एक वीडियो पोस्ट किया जिसे आपने खेल आयोजन के दौरान बनाया था, जिसमें संभावित गड़बड़ी करने वालों की पहचान की गई थी जो आपके बेटे की परेशानी के लिए जिम्मेदार थे। आपने यह भी बताया है कि मैदान में वास्तव में क्या हुआ था और सोशल मीडिया के दुरुपयोग के प्रतिकूल प्रभावों को सामने लाने का प्रयास किया है।
उपर्युक्त केस स्टडी को आधार बनाकर सोशल मीडिया के उपयोग में शामिल नैतिक मुद्दों पर चर्चा कीजिए।
अपने परिवार के खिलाफ फर्जी प्रचार का मुकाबला करने के लिए तथ्यों को सामने रखने हेतु आपके द्वारा सोशल मीडिया का उपयोग करने के लाभ और हानियों पर चर्चा कीजिए।
Model answer
Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 250-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.
Ethical Issues Involved in the Use of Social Media
Cyberbullying and Psychological Harm: Digital anonymity and deindividuation encourage toxic behavior, causing severe mental trauma, isolation, and loss of dignity for vulnerable minors.
Privacy Violation and Unauthorized Dissemination: Filming individuals without consent and making videos viral violates the fundamental right to privacy and provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (such as Section 66E).
Disinformation and Character Assassination: The weaponization of fake narratives for public shaming erodes societal trust and undermines the credibility of public officials who carry a higher burden of public scrutiny.
Digital Vigilantism: Trial by social media displaces due process and institutional dispute resolution, replacing justice with mob outrage.
Pros and Cons of Countering Propaganda via Social Media
Pros: Truth Restoration and Dignity: An evidence-based rebuttal swiftly debunks malicious disinformation, defending the family's integrity and reputation. Public Awareness: It highlights the neglected menace of peer cyberbullying and prompts constructive dialogue on digital ethics.
Cons: Doxxing and Harm to Minors: Identifying school children publicly exposes minors to online harassment, violating child protection norms and principles underlying the Juvenile Justice Act. Conflict of Interest and Clout: As a senior ministry official, public posts risk perceived abuse of authority for personal grievances, blurring public-private boundaries. Risk of Escalation: Retaliatory posting sparks a cycle of online vitriol rather than resolving the core issue.
Way Forward
Responsible digital citizenship requires restraint. Rather than retaliatory social media engagement, the ethical recourse lies in institutional mechanisms—engaging school authorities, seeking grievance redressal via platform moderators, and pursuing formal remedies under the IT Act, complemented by restorative justice and child counselling.
What "Discuss" is asking you to do
Lay the issue out from more than one side — how it arose, what is claimed for it, what is held against it, and where it now stands. UPSC attaches discuss to broad topics with several live dimensions, so coverage of the dimensions earns more than the strength of your opinion.
Structure that answers it
Set the issue up → the case as it is made → the case against → the dimension both sides leave out → where the balance now lies
Where marks are lost
Listing facts with no thread between them, or arguing one side throughout and calling it a discussion.
How this answer will be evaluated
Approach
Framework: GS4 Case Study Analysis. (a) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (b) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close Full marks: Balanced analysis of ethical issues and nuanced evaluation of the counter-action with specific case references.
Key points expected
- Cyberbullying and harassment of a minor
- Violation of privacy and dignity
- Misuse of platform for fake propaganda
- Ethical responsibility of content creators
- Pros: Reaching a wide audience quickly
- Pros: Providing factual evidence (video)
- Cons: Potential for escalation of conflict
- Cons: Risk of further privacy violation
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- (a) Identify and analyze ethical dilemmas in social media usage from the case.
discuss— intro → 3-4 dimensions → example → balanced close
Must cover
- Cyberbullying and harassment of a minor
- Violation of privacy and dignity
- Misuse of platform for fake propaganda
- Ethical responsibility of content creators
Loses marks
- Generic points not linked to the case
- Ignoring the victim's perspective
Earns more
- Anonymity and lack of accountability
- Impact on mental health of victim
- Spread of misinformation and hate
Extra mark
- Reference to IT Act or cyber laws
- (b) Evaluate the pros and cons of using social media to counter fake news. · 250 words
discuss— intro → 3-4 dimensions → example → balanced close
Must cover
- Pros: Reaching a wide audience quickly
- Pros: Providing factual evidence (video)
- Cons: Potential for escalation of conflict
- Cons: Risk of further privacy violation
Loses marks
- One-sided argument (only pros or cons)
- Preaching instead of analyzing the specific action
Earns more
- Cons: 'Trial by media' effect
- Cons: Emotional reaction vs rational response
- Cons: Digital footprint of the response
Extra mark
- Mention of 'Right to Privacy' (Article 21)
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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