NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday offered a witty response to his son Ishaan Tharoor’s social media post calling for a ban on “boomers” using WhatsApp, adding a humorous twist to an ongoing debate over children’s access to social media.The exchange began after Ishaan reacted to Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu’s suggestion that India should ban young children from using social media, similar to recently approved restrictions in France.“I agree young kids should not be on social media at all. But India needs to ban Boomers on WhatsApp first before it does anything else,” Ishaan wrote on X.Responding to the post, Shashi Tharoor quipped, “Given our reproductive patterns, my son, unlike in the West, every generation of Indians, including yours, qualifies as [baby]Boomers!”

Debate sparked by Sridhar Vembu’s proposal

The online exchange followed comments by Sridhar Vembu, who backed restrictions on children’s use of social media after France passed legislation banning children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms and prohibiting mobile phone use in schools.

Vembu argued that young children should spend less time on digital platforms and more time engaging in outdoor activities and reading.“India should ban social media for young children too. I believe young children should read physical books, play in the dirt under the sun, and stay away from social media!” he said.His remarks triggered mixed reactions online, with some users supporting stricter controls on children’s social media use, while others argued that such decisions should be left to parents rather than the government.The term “boomer”, originally referring to people born between 1946 and 1964 during the post-World War II baby boom, is now commonly used online as slang for older people perceived to hold outdated views or frequently offer unsolicited advice.