Q10 · UPSC Civil Services Mains 2023 · GS I · 10 marks · 2 min read

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Child cuddling is now being replaced by mobile phones. Discuss its impact on the socialization of children.

Topic: Indian Society and Diversity. Syllabus: Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India. Same official PYQ from year-wise 2023 and Indian Society and Diversity.

Revision summary

Early socialisation needs holding, talk, and play with people. Phones used as soothers cut those turns and can slow language and empathy. Peer life then moves to games and short video, with bullying and sleep loss. Distance calls and co-viewed stories can still help when an adult is present. Policy and parents should mediate screens, not only ban them after the harm is done.

Model answer

Flow diagram

flowchart TD
  C[Cuddling talk play] --> A[Attachment language empathy]
  P[Phone as soother] --> W[Fewer turns less play]
  W --> S[Weaker early socialisation]
  L[Later peer apps] --> B[Cyberbullying sleep rank]
  A --> H[Healthy peers]
  S --> B

Conclusion

  • Keep phones out of infant soothing, and use NEP 2020 ECCE, POSHAN, and anganwadi workers to coach parents on talk and play.
  • Set family screen rules, sleep hours, and playground time so the peer group is not only online.
  • Treat cheap data as a public fact, and teach schools to talk about cyber safety without shaming the child.

Replacing cuddling with phones weakens attachment, language, and face-to-face play, which are the base of socialisation. The way forward is adult-mediated screens, not a fantasy that childhood can go back to a pre-mobile village for everyone.

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