Delhi schools have been directed to stop students and staff from filming entertainment reels during school hours, sparking debate over distraction, privacy, and digital creativity.
Delhi schools ban entertainment reels during school hours as teachers and students debate classroom distractions, privacy, creativity and digital literacy.
After Britain’s proposed under-16 social media lockout, Tara Rastogi finds that the screen-time battle moves from Parliament to the school corridor. The Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DoE) issued a “most urgent” directive prohibiting students, teachers and school staff from creating reels or short entertainment videos on school premises during school hours. According to the circular, the restriction was prompted by growing concerns that filming entertainment media on campus directly disrupts the teaching-learning process, compromises institutional decorum and distracts students from their core academic goals. While the directive enforces a firm boundary against viral trends in the corridors, it does leave a small window open: videos centred around educational, cultural or social-awareness themes are still permitted, provided they receive prior administrative approval and are filmed under a teacher’s direct supervision.
For many teachers, the policy represents a welcome return to traditional focus, while others view it as a missed opportunity to engage with modern communication tools. “Classroom management has become significantly harder in this era,” explains Mrs Parveen Rehman, teacher at Delhi Public School, Mathura Road. “Creating ideas for whatever reason is a distraction. Students are constantly thinking about trends instead of the lesson.”
Conversely, Mrs Susanne Shah, a teacher from Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan, says: “While entertainment reels can certainly become a distraction, short-form video can be helpful. Instead of a total restriction, teaching students and staff how to produce high-quality, responsible digital media could build better digital literacy.” Among teenagers, the reaction highlights a divide between preserving privacy and maintaining spaces for creative expression. “Honestly, it’s a relief in some ways,” says Miraya Mukherjee, a student at Delhi Public School. “You shouldn’t have to worry about accidentally ending up in the background of someone else’s viral TikTok or reel while you’re just trying to walk somewhere. School needs to feel like a safe, private space where you aren’t constantly on camera.”Delhi’s new regulatory measure showcases an important issue. for this
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