MAM
65% Indians (like most global citizens) want prevention of casualties of civilians to take precedence over country’s interest: Ipsos Human Rights Survey
MUMBAI: According to a new survey by Ipsos, in partnership with the Policy Institute at King’s College, London, titled, ‘Age of Impunity – Global Attitudes to Human Rights – 65% Indians believe that avoiding civilian casualties should take precedence over country’s interest.
Interestingly, all markets covered in the survey display the same concern on Human Rights – of protecting civilians and following the rules of warfare, over country’s interest – Turkey (74%), Poland (66%), India (65%), Peru (63%), Hungary (63%), Russia (59%), Mexico (58%), South Africa (57%), Sweden (57%), Spain (55%), Great Britain (55%), Chile (55%), Germany (54%), Malaysia (53%), Australia (51%), the US (51%), Italy (49%) etc.
War crimes and accountability
Two thirds of Indians (65%) feel that if a country commits war crimes, it should be held accountable and that other countries should intervene, to put an end to it, even if it infringes on the sovereignty. 66% Indians want India to intervene in such a scenario, if it takes place in other countries.
“Indians, like most global citizens, veto for preventing civilian casualties and following the code of conduct of war. Most strife zones in India or of other nations are faced with complexities of situations, where there is no war per se, but terrorism upsetting peace and collaterally affecting civilians. And most nations are grappling with the scenario of how civilians can be unscathed and unimpacted in turmoil zones,” says Parijat Chakraborty, Country Service Line Group Leader, Ipsos Public Affairs, Corporate Reputation & Customer Experience.
Conformance to international laws on human rights, what should be India’s stance?
The views are divided – while 39% Indians feel that international laws on human rights should be strictly adhered to; 23% are of the view that laws should be flouted only in extreme circumstances; 25% on the other hand counsel that one should know the laws but should opt for other considerations and 7% feel that laws should be ignored.
Factors that should determine ties with other nations, for leaders
Indians feel leaders should consider the following top factors when deciding relations with other countries: Economic benefits (53%); Security benefits (53%); military benefits (36%) and human rights record of the country (33%). And interestingly, priorities of Indian leaders are in sync with expectations of Indians and are in the same pecking order of economic benefits (55%), security benefits (51%), military benefits (38%) and the human rights record of the country (33%) – for forging ties with other nations.
Trade and human rights
Polarized views observed among Indians. 42% Indians espouse trading only with nations with good human rights record, even at the cost of hampering the economy; 40% on the contrary feel economic benefits should be the driving force for trade and not a squeaky-clean human rights record (they won’t like to link the two).
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
