No More Reels? Centre May Soon Roll Out Social Media Curbs For Employees

Several government employees enjoy posting videos on social media. Some even run YouTube channels, while others post personal opinions online. But now, the government wants to draw a line.

According to media reports, the central government is preparing a social media code of conduct for its staffers, including officers. The matter has already reached the top levels of government, according to a PTI report. During a recent meeting with government secretaries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked senior officials to study the idea, as per the report. 

During the same meeting, PM Modi also pushed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to speed up its "Ek Bharat" portal. That platform is meant to bring government services to citizens under one roof.

Sources told PTI the code of conduct for Instagram, X, and Facebook -- once ready -- will apply to all central government employees. No exceptions for rank. A joint secretary and a junior clerk will follow the same rules.

There is no word yet on a timeline. The exact guidelines are also still under wraps.

Social Media Code Of Conduct: Why Now?

The push comes as more officials post content that puts their work, and themselves, in the spotlight. Critics say some of it crosses a line. Public servants, they argue, shouldn't be building personal brands on the job.

Right now, there is no single rulebook. Each department has its own service rules, and those rules were never really built with Instagram and YouTube in mind.

'Mixing Official And Personal Content'

Munab Ali Beik, Head of Compliance Advisory at Core Integra, has been tracking this space closely. He told NDTV how the current patchwork of rules came to be.

"The Centre is working on the framework to properly regulate and provide clear guidelines regarding social media postings by government employees," Beik said. He pointed out that, at present, most postings by staff fall under the general service rules of their department, not any dedicated social media policy.

Beik recalled a case that made headlines years ago. "I recall a viral video posted by a BSF Jawan in 2017 regarding the substandard food allegedly being served to him," he said. Disciplinary action followed, under the service rules that applied at the time.

That old rulebook, Beik noted, was built for a different era. It restricts staff from sharing departmental information with the public or the press. It says little about reels, YouTube shorts, or Instagram stories.

He also flagged a growing trend among senior officers. IAS and IPS officers, he said, have increasingly taken to personal YouTube channels and social media handles, mixing official updates with personal content to build a public following.

"Since the service rules differ from one department to another, the Central Government is working on a Social Media Code of Conduct to rationalise and regulate the use of social media by government employees," Beik said.

The new Code, according to Beik, is expected to spell out exactly what employees can and cannot post. It should also list actions that count as misconduct, along with the penalties attached to them.

Social Media Code Of Conduct: Regulatory Moves

This proposed code doesn't exist in isolation. It fits into a broader tightening of India's digital rules.

Last month, the government cut the deadline for platforms to remove "unlawful" content. What used to take 36 hours must now happen within three hours of a valid notice.

Separately, worries over deepfakes and AI-generated videos pushed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to act. Intermediaries must now label AI-generated content clearly and keep traceable metadata, so users can tell what's real and what isn't.