“Social media protects people from liability”

Flagship Hindu youth engagement platform ‘The Hindu Huddle on Campus’ was successfully held at Amity University in the city on Wednesday with an engaging debate on ‘Do platforms like Instagram and TikTok harm students’ mental health more than they help?’

Business Administration, Management and BTech students, Aaditi Singh, Stuti Ranjan, Shafin Shabeer and Anishka Chandra participated in the event.

D. Subhakar, Vice-Chancellor, Amity University, in his opening remarks said, “We know from our history that any technology will always have positive and negative impact. So we have to take a balanced approach and take good things from them.”

“All social media tools help us connect with the world and our network is growing. But there are also some negative things. I noticed that students are constantly checking their mobiles. It stimulates the brain or overstimulates the natural cycle and sometimes it can lead to mental health problems. Depression is also one of the forms and the sleep cycle is affected,” he added.

Moderator Vishu Dev CH, a faculty member from the Amity School for Communication Enhancement and Transformation, highlighted concerns around anxiety, depression, distraction, and mental health and well-being.

Aaditi Singh pointed out that social media fosters a culture of comparison where students are constantly validated based on looks and body types and are exposed to a curated lifestyle. Stuti Ranjan pointed out the anonymity provided by social networks. “People aren’t really responsible for their actions,” she argued.

Anishka Chandra countered that social media is not harmful but can actually improve people’s mental health through networking. Shafin Shabeer argued that blaming social media is like blaming books for bad eyesight or cars for traffic accidents. “Basically, it needs structured use and supervision of students using social media,” he added.

BS Satish Kumar, deputy chief of the Bureau, told The Hindu in his closing remarks, “Social media is a double-edged sword. So with proper supervision and digital literacy, the harmful effects can be avoided.”

PS Sali, Vice-Chancellor, and Monit Kapoor, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University and hundreds of students attended the event.

Published – 03 Jun 2026 23:43 IST