4 days ago
‘Selling lies, not truth': Student calls out celebrity and influencer over 'misleading' endorsement at Youth Parliament
At the Youth Parliament 2025 held at Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya, Jaipur, student speaker Arya Ojha delivered a sharp critique of celebrities, cricketers, and social media influencers who endorse products and services that, she said, raise serious ethical questions.
Addressing a packed audience, Arya questioned whether the products promoted by high-profile figures are truly safe for consumers. She pointed out the contradiction between influencers who advocate self-love and body positivity, yet promote 'miracle' weight-loss products and quick-fix beauty treatments. Similarly, she flagged concerns over cricketers endorsing online gambling platforms despite being role models for millions.
'While they earn in crores, the public silently suffers—with compromised health, damaged self-esteem, and confusion,' Arya said, accusing public figures of trading trust for profit. 'What we consume today, we pay for at the hospital tomorrow, all thanks to the tagline we once trusted.'
She also warned about the growing use of artificial intelligence in advertising, saying it has become easier to manufacture believable yet false narratives. 'A face can be faked, a voice cloned, and an entire story fabricated,' she said. 'We are no longer just consuming misinformation--we are helping spread it.'
Quoting Swami Vivekananda--'Give me 100 youths, I will change the direction of this country"--Arya said today's generation should be standing with the truth, not 'selling lies.' She invoked India's philosophical and cultural heritage, citing the Mundaka Upanishad's shloka Satyamev Jayate ('Truth always triumphs'), which appears on the national emblem, and urged young Indians to uphold it.
Arya concluded with a direct appeal to politicians, actors, and influencers to act responsibly. 'When what is visible is only noise, why not present the right facts so that the youth of the country don't just get lost in showbiz, but move forward with the right thinking and direction?' she said.
