DEHRADUN: Officials affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have issued a stern warning regarding a noticeable decline in conversational etiquette and conduct among teenagers from affluent backgrounds attending affiliated schools, particularly in regions like Uttarakhand.

The board is actively reaching out to parents, pressing them to closely monitor their children’s language use and the content they consume online.

Dr Anupam Jagga, principal of a prominent institution in Haridwar and a CBSE Regional Coordinator, formally documented the concern in a letter. The advisory explicitly points to a troubling rise in the use of profanity and inappropriate material shared among students. “The most worrying aspect is the sharp drop in the standard of language used,” stated Jagga, referencing observations made during recent counselling sessions.

He highlighted a candid admission from students preparing for the IIT entrance exams. These high-achievers acknowledged that their success was rooted in discipline and dedicating six to eight hours daily to self-study. However, he noted that this crucial time is increasingly being diverted towards online media consumption instead of books and newspapers.

“In the last decade, there has been a significant increase in students using abusive language in their casual conversations,” Jagga observed. He identified web series streamed on Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms as a primary catalyst for this shift.