UPSC Mains Answer Practice GS 1: civilisational ties between India and Iran and potential implication of social media ban in India | Week 145

QUESTION 2

“The rapid expansion of social media has transformed childhood and adolescence in contemporary society.” In this context, discuss the social and psychological implications of restricting children’s access to social media in India.

QUESTION 1: Discuss the historical foundations of Indo-Iranian cultural relations from ancient to medieval times.

Relevance: India’s historical relations to Iran represent long-standing cultural exchanges in trade, language, religion, and migration. These connections affected mediaeval Indian culture by spreading Persian language, literature, and administrative traditions. The topic ties together GS-1 issues such as ancient interactions, cultural dispersion, and the historical underpinnings of India’s external cultural linkages. It also contributes to understanding the civilisational framework of present-day India-Iran ties.

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— A long and complex history of cultural interactions, migrations, trade, shared ethnic propensities, and linguistic evolution characterises Indo-Iranian ties.

— These spread across an extensive Indo-Iranian contact-zone, beginning from the Russian steppes, via Bactria (Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan), the Iranian plateau, and ending in north-western India.

— The civilisational Indo-Iranian ties inked the Indus Valley Civilisation with eastern Iran and Central Asia. Indus Valley’s merchants appear to have travelled widely across the Iranian plateau and into Mesopotamia.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

— Such commercial networks created a cosmopolitan environment in which languages and cultural practices circulated widely. The mobility of merchants and pastoral groups, thus, facilitated cultural exchange across the Indo-Iranian frontier.

— The history of Indo-Iranian ties uncovered at Susa (Shush, in the Kuzestan province of Iran) and at the Indus Valley sites of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa noted similar painted pottery, polished tools, and seals.

— The earliest evidence for horse domestication comes from the Srednij Stog culture of the Ukrainian steppes, around about 4200–3500 BCE, and the Yamnaya culture, of about 3500–2800 BCE, these pastoral cultures with their horse-dependency circulated Euro-Indo-Iranian languages and Indo-Iranian populations across a vast region.

— Both the Rig Veda and the Avesta (the Zoroastrian religious text-corpus of ancient Iran) contain representations of horses as key elements of military and aristocratic living.

— The Andronovo culture, which marked the first recognisable splits between Indian and Iranian oral traditions. Around 1650 BC, the Mittani Empire, which was established around modern-day Syria, is known to have used an Indo-Aryan language that resembled Sanskrit—albeit written in Mesopotamian cuneiform.

— These Indo-Iranian ties are strongly attested by archaeological findings. The cultural complex that the above timelines refer to—sometimes known as the Greater Iran Bronze Age—was likely dominated by a nomadic military elite, whose relics are found in excavated weapons, chariots, and aristocratic burials, whose descriptions match Indo-Iranian textual evidence on their warrior elites.

— Persian literary and medical manuscripts, including translations of Panchatantra-like texts, entered Iranian intellectual life, while Sassanian aesthetic and administrative influence left imprints on northwest Indian monuments and iconography in Buddhist cave complexes. Persian became a vessel for poetry, philosophy, mysticism, and technical manuals across long distances.

— Persian prevailed within the Mughal bureaucracy’s expanse from Lahore to Bengal until about the end of the eighteenth century.

— In postcolonial times, Indo-Iranian diplomatic ties carried forward the civilisational goodwill into the Cold-War-era. A Treaty of Friendship signed in 1950 established rhetorical goodwill between the two nations, even though deeper strategic divergences remained.

Conclusion:

— Twenty-first century Indian firms have pursued stakes and projects in Iran, including investments by ONGC Videsh and upgrades to Chabahar port as a corridor to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Other shared interests include joint naval drills in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean.

(Source: Trade, language, and shared identities: How an ancient world linked India and Iran thousands of years ago)

Points to Ponder

In what ways did Persian language and culture influence administration and literature in medieval India?

What early connections existed between the Indus Valley Civilization and the Iranian plateau through trade and migration?

Related Previous Year Question

The ancient civilization in the Indian sub-continent differed from those of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece in that its culture and traditions have been preserved without a breakdown to the present day. Comment (2015)

QUESTION 2: “The rapid expansion of social media has transformed childhood and adolescence in contemporary society.” In this context, discuss the social and psychological implications of restricting children’s access to social media in India.

Relevance: The topic about regulating social media for minors has gained traction following policy debates in Karnataka. It addresses GS-1 subjects such as the impact of technology on society, young socialisation, and mental health. The topic raises worries about digital addiction, cyberbullying, and changing developmental routines. It also calls into question how to strike a balance between kid protection and digital rights in India’s rapidly growing digital society.

(An AI-generated image for Representational purpose only/Gemini)

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— On March 6, the Karnataka government announced a ban on social media use for children under the age of 16 years during the state’s annual budget presentation. Similarly, the Andhra Pradesh government announced intentions to introduce measures to restrict social media access for children below the age of 13.

— This comes amid the broader discourse surrounding social media bans and the restriction of children’s online access, both globally and in India. Australia set a landmark precedent in 2025 by banning social media use for children under 16.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

Implications of restricting children’s access to social media in India

— The fragmented approaches to social media bans can present challenges in applicability and precisely, in the case of non-uniform age thresholds across states. For instance, will users only have to self-declare their age and provide ID verification, or will regulations require social media platforms to take greater accountability in ascertaining the age of users through technical detection mechanisms? It can also be challenging to identify an appropriate age threshold for this purpose, as it can be onerous to ascertain the extent of agency and evolving capacity an individual child may demonstrate.

— Online age verification raises several privacy concerns, with studies finding that more accurate mechanisms often contravene data protection principles through the collection of excessive data.

— A ban also fails to account for challenges such as shared device usage, a reality in India. Such a move may also further limit online expression for girls and young women, whose access to digital spaces is already curbed by gender norms.

— A ban may also inhibit the articulation of personal identity for LGBTQIA+ communities, including children, for whom online spaces are critical for self-expression.

— Social media bans, coupled with existing parental consent requirements under data protection frameworks, may shift the narrative entirely towards restricting children’s access, whereas the real question is how we can safeguard children from very actual harms that present themselves online. For instance, in spite of age restrictions, children often misrepresent their age online, either by false declarations or through the use of VPNs.

Conclusion:

— Social media platforms are frequently an important route for children’s self-expression, and children must be empowered to navigate them safely. Rather than restricting access, policies and legal frameworks should create safer online environments for children.

— Restricting children’s social media use in India has major psychological and social benefits, such as improved mental health, less cyberbullying, and greater academic focus, but it also risks depriving them of vital digital skills, social connections, and educational tools. A balanced approach that prioritises guidance over severe bans is critical.

(Source: Social media ban for children may be intrusive and hard to enforce)

Points to Ponder

How is social media reshaping childhood, peer interaction, and identity formation in India’s digital society?

How can policy balance child protection, freedom of expression, and access to digital opportunities?

Related Previous Year Questions

Child cuddling is now being replaced by mobile phones. Discuss its impact on the socialization of children. (2023)

How does Indian society maintain continuity in traditional social values? Enumerate the changes taking place in it. (2021)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 144)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 145)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 144)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 145)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 144)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 143)

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