RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addresses a youth conference organised by the India International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) in Mumbai on August 6, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday (August 6, 2026) said protest is a way of dialogue at a gathering of Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
In a democracy, protest is a way of reaching consensus, the RSS chief said. Mr. Bhagwat was attending a youth conference organised by IIMUN, interacting with Gen Z and Gen Alpha participants.
As far as Gen Z is concerned and what happened recently, their grievance is genuine. Today’s generation wants logical answers, he said.
“Gen Z is more honest than our generation. But the methods have been laid out in the Constitution by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. We have to see that if Gen Z is shouting, they are doing so due to their problems. We need to resolve the issues they face,” he said. Bhagwat said banning social media was not the solution to its harmful effects, asserting that society must develop self-discipline and verify information from authentic sources before believing anything online.
Mr. Bhagwat said banning social media was not the solution to its harmful effects, asserting that society must develop self-discipline and verify information from authentic sources before believing anything online.
Mr. Bhagwat said rules and regulations alone would not work unless people’s attitudes changed.
“Rules and discipline are necessary, but they succeed only when attitudes change. Many laws have been made. What matters is changing people’s mindset,” he said.
Warning about the misuse of technology, the RSS chief said people should not trust content on social media without verification.
“Today, technology can create fake videos using our faces and voices. Knowing this, people should never believe anything on social media without verifying it from authentic sources,” he said.
Mr. Bhagwat also said social media influencers carried a responsibility towards their followers.
“If I am a social media icon and 10 lakh people follow me, it becomes my responsibility to ensure they do not end up in a problem by following me. That much wisdom is necessary,” he said.
Calling for self-regulation, he said the older generation should help the youth develop the wisdom to use social media responsibly.
“We need self-imposed discipline in using social media. Once that discipline develops, regulations will work effectively,” he said.
Responding to a question on whether India should ban social media for children, as has been done by some other countries, Mr. Bhagwat said restriction was not the answer.
“If you ban something, it simply moves to the black market and spreads even more. The entire society has to respond to this challenge together. Only then will the government’s efforts succeed,” he said.
Mr. Bhagwat also said he supported the demand to increase spending on education to six per cent of the GDP. “Education is not a commercial business; it should be structured in such a way that it is available for all,” he said.
Society should also contribute to improving the status of education, the RSS chief said.
Employment does not only constitute jobs but also entrepreneurship, Mr. Bhagwat said.
(With PTI inputs)
Published – August 06, 2026 06:43 pm IST
