There is a trend of showcasing only ‘camera-friendly’ students on social media. It fuels racism, objectifies girls, and betrays the true dignity of education.
Dr Masrat Ahmad Mir
There is a quiet but troubling trend emerging in many schools across Kashmir—children are increasingly being treated as material for social media promotion. What should have been spaces of learning, dignity, and equal opportunity are slowly turning into stages where only a select few are allowed to be seen.
In countless videos and promotional posts, schools showcase only those students who fit a narrow idea of “beauty.” Fair skin, delicate features, and a certain camera-friendly appearance seem to determine who gets visibility. Many children are left out, overlooked, not because of their abilities or achievements, but because they do not fit this manufactured aesthetic. If this is not a form of discrimination—if this is not a subtle but real kind of racism—then what else can we call it?
What adds to the concern is the clear gender imbalance in these videos. Male students are rarely included, while young girls are repeatedly presented at the centre of this visual content. This excessive focus risks objectifying female students, reducing their identity to their appearance rather than their abilities, interests, or personalities. Such representation, even when unintended, not only reinforces harmful gender norms but also places an unfair emotional burden on young girls who should never feel that their value lies in how they look.
This growing obsession with appearance, especially among children, creates more harm than schools seem willing to acknowledge. Today, it looks harmless, even cute. But tomorrow it can grow into a serious social and moral concern—one that normalises unnecessary exposure, encourages vanity, and places children under emotional and psychological pressures they should never have to bear.
Children should never feel that their worth depends on how they look, what their skin tone is, or how well they fit into someone’s idea of attractiveness. Schools, above all institutions, should be the last places to reinforce such narrow standards. Their role is to uplift every child, to nurture talent over appearance, to build confidence rather than comparison.
Kashmir has always cherished the values of dignity, modesty, and respect. Our cultural strength lies in honouring each individual, not objectifying them. When educational institutions start valuing likes and views on social media over ethics and equality, something fundamental begins to erode.
For the emotional well-being of our children, for the preservation of our social values, and for the true dignity of education, this trend must be challenged. Schools must remember that a child is not a product to be displayed, but a human being to be guided, protected, and respected.
It is time to stop this discrimination. It is time to reclaim our values. And it is time to remind our schools that education is meant to enlighten—not to advertise.
The writer is a Lecturer on Academic Arrangement at GDC Pouni, Reasi
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