In the present era, politics is no longer confined to mere power struggles or election slogans, but has become a means of directly influencing the formation of minds, the direction of priorities, and the angles of thought. Today's real battle is not on borders, but in minds, where a silent yet highly dangerous war is being waged between truth and falsehood, news and propaganda, awareness and deception. The most affected generation in this war is our children, whose intellectual training has been left to the mercy of screens, algorithms, and viral content. In such a delicate political and social environment, any decision related to education should not be seen merely as an educational reform, but as a political, intellectual, and cultural stance.
In the digital age, mobile phones, tablets, and screen culture have gained extraordinary dominance over children's lives. Playgrounds, libraries, and study tables have fallen silent, while information that comes with a flick of the finger, often brief, superficial, and misleading, has scattered children's minds. Politicians' speeches, social media trends, or hate and inflammatory content - everything reaches children on the same screen without any filter. The result is that skills like concentration, tolerance, serious study, and critical thinking are gradually weakening, which is a danger signal for any democratic society.
Against this backdrop, the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to make newspaper reading compulsory in schools is not just an educational decision, but an intellectual and political declaration. It is an acknowledgment that to make the upcoming generation informed citizens, it is necessary to connect them with credible information, responsible journalism, and serious study. Newspapers, which have been a means of shaping public opinion and consolidating democratic values for years, are still the most effective tool for teaching the difference between news and rumors.
Therefore, this initiative is being seen as a milestone in educational reforms at the national level, and educational circles in other states, including Maharashtra, are also demanding similar reforms. Social media may have made access to information easier, but it has also led to the spread of fake news, half-truths, and organized misleading campaigns, which can easily influence young minds. Children often lack the ability to decide which news is credible and which content is being spread under a political or ideological agenda. This is the gap that newspapers fill. Newspapers not only verify news, provide references, and context, but also teach children to question information, ponder over it, and then form an opinion.
Educational and psychological experts agree that continuous screen time leads to mental pressure, anxiety, irritability, and lack of concentration in children. In contrast, reading newspapers is a slow but deep process that fosters patience, serenity, and intellectual stability. This habit strengthens language skills, enhances expression, and provides an understanding of social and political issues. These are the elements that form the foundation of a responsible voter, an informed citizen, and a guardian of democracy.
If daily regular reading sessions, discussions, and activities related to study are promoted at the state level, they will not be limited to academic success but will also instill intellectual maturity, social sensitivity, and political awareness in children. A student who is accustomed to reading newspapers does not easily fall prey to political slogans, inflammatory statements, or hate campaigns, but questions, seeks context, and forms opinions based on reasoning. It is the collective responsibility of parents, teachers, and the government to save children from the uncontrolled use of screens and bring them back to books and newspapers. This task is not possible through moral advice alone, but through practical actions, educational policies, and the formation of a social environment.
Promoting newspaper culture in schools is essentially the preparation of a generation that can distinguish between truth and falsehood, tolerate dissent, and protect democratic values. Education and politics are not separate. A society whose children are intellectually weak will also have a weak democracy. Moving away from screens and towards newspapers is not just a reading habit, but a political, social, and cultural necessity. This is the path that can lead to the formation of an informed, responsible, and aware generation and guarantee a bright, stable future.
The question is no longer whether to read newspapers or watch mobile screens, but who should be entrusted with the collective direction of the nation - responsible journalism or uncontrolled digital politics? Politics, being not just a game of power but the formation of public opinion, narratives of fear and hope, and angles of hatred and harmony, requires a decision on where the public should obtain information, which essentially decides the foundation of democracy. Mobile screen politics often becomes a means of inflaming emotions, creating instant reactions, and standing in favor or against a particular narrative without thought. Here, noise is promoted more than news, accusation more than argument, and confrontation more than dialogue.
In contrast, newspapers present politics not just as slogans or trends, but as a continuous process, a historical continuum, and a social responsibility. A newspaper reader does not stop at one piece of news but looks at situations from different angles, understands the context, and tries to know what interests are at work behind a decision. This training takes the public from blind imitation to conscious participation. If politics is done in the interest of hate, religion, nationality, or fear, rather than public good, newspapers have the ability to expose it, provided the reader has the habit of reading, understanding, and questioning.
Today, where a lie can become truth on social media in minutes and truth can be systematically suppressed, newspapers serve as an intellectual sanctuary for the public. This sanctuary, away from noise and inflammation, at least gives the reader the time to question whether what is being told is the complete truth or a narrative tailored for a specific political benefit. Mobile screens snatch away this time because everything there is instant, every reaction is emotional, and every disagreement is ready to turn into hostility. If the public wants to truly understand politics, recognize the dignity of their vote, and not leave their children's future to hate and deception, they must maintain a cautious distance from screens and a serious relationship with newspapers. This is not retrogressive thinking but a democratic necessity.
Because a nation that learns its politics merely from mobile clips, viral slogans, and emotional posts will soon pay the price of its decisions. On the other hand, a society that understands politics through newspapers, books, and serious study, despite disagreements, does not break but becomes stronger. Therefore, the real choice before the public today is whether to let politics become a spectacle or make it a responsible process. Mobile screens turn politics into a spectacle, while newspapers show it the path of understanding, awareness, and dialogue. Avoiding screens and connecting with newspapers is not just a personal habit change but a collective political decision. This decision will determine whether politics will serve the public in the coming days or the public will become the fuel for politics.
