4 min learnNew DelhiMar 18, 2026 08:00 PM IST
Elevating kids in an more and more digital and hyperconnected world has launched new challenges for folks, significantly relating to privateness and security. Not too long ago, Priyanka Chopra Jonas spoke about why she prefers to maintain her daughter, Malti Marie Chopra Jonas, away from the general public highlight for now. Talking on the Not Skinny However Not Fats podcast hosted by Amanda Hirsch, she defined that as her daughter grows older, she needs to present her as a lot privateness and normalcy as attainable.
Priyanka stated that her method is centred on letting her child grow up without unnecessary attention whereas nonetheless understanding the truth of public curiosity. “As she’s rising older, we’ve began to additionally type of simply deflect somewhat bit. She strikes round quite a bit, so we let her have as a lot anonymity as she will be able to. It’s her regular, and other people might be interested in her, and I by no means need her to be terrified of that or judgmental or sceptical of the people that she meets, as a result of there are good folks on this planet, and I’ve had great experiences with mates like that. It’s okay for her to pay attention to it, however to have a way of alternative, I believe, might be necessary (sic),” she stated.
She additionally shared that issues about privateness and security led her to implement sure protecting measures. Based on Priyanka, an incident wherein a stranger adopted her dwelling from college whereas recording her bolstered the significance of being cautious about undesirable consideration. Reflecting on this, she defined why safety generally accompanies them in public. “When we have now safety out and about, it’s simply … to not be recorded with out consent as a result of quite a lot of that occurs… I’ve all the time been of the opinion that I type of selected a public life… (When) it involves kids, that’s … terrain we’re all studying within the final like 10 to twenty years what that’s gonna be like within the subsequent 10 years, 15 years for them. So I believe somewhat little bit of grace is required for everybody, but additionally sure consciousness of security and what meaning.”
However why is it necessary for kids to have a way of privateness and autonomy?
Counselling psychologist Athul Raj tells indianexpress.com, “Kids internalise a way of self once they really feel possession over their lives. In at the moment’s age of viral social media, a single photograph can attain 1000’s inside hours, creating publicity {that a} youngster will not be outfitted to deal with emotionally. Giving kids the selection to look in public areas — or on-line — reinforces company, self-respect, and emotional security. It teaches them that they’ve management over what others see, and that their consolation is legitimate.”
He notes that for Indian households, the place kinfolk typically share pictures freely, this precept turns into essential: a baby’s proper to privateness just isn’t negotiable, and studying it early lays the inspiration for a assured, unbiased identification.
A wholesome steadiness between defending kids’s security and permitting them to work together confidently with the world
Kids want publicity to the world — playgrounds, social gatherings, public occasions — however with boundaries that protect them from actual hurt. This may imply supervising interactions, controlling digital publicity, or negotiating which moments are photographed.
Importantly, Raj stresses, explaining why guidelines exist fosters belief. “In India, prolonged households typically really feel entitled to submit or share, which might confuse a child about limits. Dad and mom who information with reasoning, quite than merely saying ‘no,’ assist kids develop judgement and confidence.”
Psychological impression of undesirable public consideration on kids
Persistent remark or unsolicited consideration could make kids anxious, self-conscious, and hesitant to specific themselves authentically. They might internalise the concept their price is tied to others’ approval, stunting emotional development.
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“Dad and mom can buffer this by validating emotions, providing personal areas for unobserved exploration, and giving kids actual alternative about what’s shared publicly. By modelling respect for boundaries, mother and father train the kid a lifelong lesson: consent is non-negotiable. Over time, kids study to claim themselves confidently, interact socially with out worry, and construct a resilient sense of self-critical in a world the place consideration is fixed and infrequently uncontrollable,” concludes Raj.
