Author Name: Prof.(Dr.) Ruhi Lal, Dr. Sundeep Katevarapu & Aarzoo Date: 25-03-2026
The emergence of social media as the dominant communicative ecosystem for contemporary youth has generated profound ethical, psychological, and social challenges that existing Western communication ethics frameworks have proven inadequate to address. This paper argues for the relevance and urgency of Vedic communication ethics-particularly as articulated through the doctrines of Vak (speech), Satya (truthfulness), Ahimsa (nonviolence), and Swadhyaya (self-study) in classical Sanskrit texts-as a framework for reconstructing youth well-being in social media environments. Drawing on textual analysis of primary Vedic and Upanishadic sources alongside empirical data from a mixed-methods study of 450 Indian youth aged 16–24, the paper develops the Vedic Communication Ethics Framework (VCEF) as an integrative model bridging ancient communicative wisdom with contemporary digital media psychology. The study finds significant associations between exposure to Vedic communication principles and improved well-being outcomes, including lower social anxiety, higher relational satisfaction, and greater resilience to online harassment. The paper further examines how specific Vedic communicative doctrines-including the four qualities of Satyam (truthful), Priyam (pleasant), Hitam (beneficial), and Mitam (measured)-can be operationalized as media literacy standards and behavioral guidelines for youth social media engagement. Implications for digital media education, policy, and psychological intervention are discussed, with recommendations for culturally grounded programs that draw on India’s rich communicative heritage. The paper contributes to the emerging discourse on decolonizing communication studies and to the practical project of designing culturally resonant well-being interventions for Indian youth.
Keywords: Vedic communication ethics, social media, youth well-being, Vak, satya, ahimsa, media literacy, digital communication
