The current debate around banning social media for children under 16 has been framed as a question of freedom. It is not. It is a question of how societies protect children in environments they do not fully understand or control.
Museum of Digital Society | 5th March 2026
A group of 72 students from DGSEA (Duraisamy Generous Social Education Association), Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu, visited the Museum of Digital Society (MoDS) on 5th March 2026 as part of an educational tour. Accompanied by 17 teachers, the visit was jointly facilitated by DEF’s (Digital Empowerment Foundation)- MoDS Team and the teachers of DGSEA themselves. The tour revolved around three interconnected themes – E-waste Recycling – Media Information Literacy, and The Museum Tour – each designed to offer students a meaningful and hands-on learning experience.
THE PARADOX OF DIGITAL PROGRESS
The 21st century’s digital revolution has created a profound paradox. While urban centers debate on artificial intelligence ethics, virtues, and algorithmic governance, rural geographies struggle with basic digital access. Urban populations navigate sophisticated digital ecosystems, yet millions in rural India encounter computers for the first time. This digital divide represents not merely a technological gap but a fundamental inequality in opportunity, information access, and participation.
This assessment documents initiatives by the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) at Alwar district in Rajasthan and Nuh district in Haryana. These interventions systematically democratize digital access, emphasizing marginalized populations and women’s empowerment. Significantly, while contemporary discourse addresses digital literacy and gender-based digital divides, these communities simultaneously grapple with fundamental literacy challenges and entrenched
