Australia has recently banned social media accounts for children under 16, requiring age verification and shutting existing underage accounts. This step could become a model for other nations concerned about the mental health of young people. In India, the situation is far worse. Not only children but even adults are trapped in a dangerous addiction to social media. The attention span of the young generation is now restricted to the length of a reel. Before this addiction consumes the personality and future of India’s youth, strong measures are needed for stricter controls. 

Tushar Rahatgaonkar, Mumbai

Census 2027

The Cabinet’s approval for Census 2027 marks a decisive step in preparing the ground for the world’s largest enumeration exercise. To be conducted after a gap of 16 years, with March 1, 2027, as the reference date, it will be India’s first-ever digital census, using mobile applications and offering citizens the option of self-enumeration. The inclusion of a caste count for the first time is significant. 

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali 

Toxic waste

Sewage and septic tank cleaners live a miserable life. The number of deaths due to suffocation has been on the increase, which calls for immediate remedial measures on the occupational hazards of this work. This year 22 workers died in the country while cleaning sewers and septic tanks. Septic tank gases contains a dangerous combination of gases that can lead to death. It is high time the centre conducted a study on the matter and came out with concrete steps to check this.

S. Akhilesh Krishnan, Vashi 

Right to me time

The Right to Disconnect Bill 2025, introduced in the Lok Sabha by MP Supriya Sule, brings a ray of hope to millions of employees across the country. This bill states that no employee will be obligated to respond to calls, emails, messages, or any digital instructions from their organisation after office hours. If enacted, this law could mark a historic shift in India’s work culture.  

Sandeep Kumar, 

Jharkhand

BJP’s Kerala win 

Ending over four decades of the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) hold over the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (BJP-NDA) secured power in the civic body, perhaps the most important local body in Kerala. The NDA won 50 wards in the 101-ward corporation, while the LDF was reduced to 29 wards. It is a major turnaround for the NDA, which had won only in six wards until a decade ago.

C.K. Subramaniam, Chennai

English a must

Apropos the article, “English is the global language of commerce, science and technology” (Dec 15), Indians are fortunate enough to have such a wonderful language as an integral part of their education system. Learning English never diminishes the importance of their mother tongue and instead exposes them to the outside world. The English language facilitates access to the treasure trove of science and technology content in their original form. With the knowledge of English, one can survive in any part of the globe. 

VVV Satyanarayana, 

Rajahmundry

Bondi attack

The horrific terror attack at Bondi Beach, Sydney, where at least 15 innocent people, including children and a Holocaust survivor, were gunned down during the Hanukkah celebrations, illustrates that the campaign of hate against Jews has not ceased but is escalating. 

This antisemitic atrocity is utterly condemnable. It is time for all the countries in the world to unitedly stand against such barbarism.

P.H. Hema Sagar, 

Secunderabad