/shethepeople/media/media_files/2025/10/16/feature-image-66-2025-10-16-16-18-02.png)
Ishit Bhatt on Kaun Banega Crorepati | Source: SonyLiv
The viral backlash against 10-year-old Ishit Bhatt’s appearance on Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) Season 17 is a textbook case of media sensationalism turning a child’s moment into a public spectacle. Ishit’s interruptions — “Rules pata hai!” and “Sir, lock karo!” — while Amitabh Bachchan read the questions, were bold, maybe brash, but entirely age-appropriate for a kid under pressure.
Ishit's wrong answer to a Ramayana question (Bala Kanda, not Ayodhya Kanda) cost him the game, but it was the internet’s reaction, fuelled by media amplification, that truly stole the show. Clips of his overconfidence were looped, meme-ified, and shared across platforms, sparking a deluge of adult trolling that labeled him “arrogant” and even shamed his parents.
This wasn’t just a child’s mistake; it became a feeding frenzy engineered by media dynamics that thrive on outrage. News outlets and social platforms know exactly what drives clicks — conflict and controversy. KBC producers, aware of the episode’s viral potential, didn’t just air Ishit’s participation; they let his quips dominate teasers and highlight reels.
These curated clips distorted reality. Ishit’s haste wasn’t malice; it was a 10-year-old navigating a high-stakes stage. But media framing cast him as a villain, ignoring both his age and the pressure of facing a legend like Bachchan.
The result? A skewed public perception, with comments like “Kids these days have no manners” gaining thousands of likes. The narrative snowballed: instead of seeing a kid learning a lesson, people painted him as a symbol of “Gen Z audacity.” His parents were dragged into the outrage, accused of “failed upbringing,” despite no evidence beyond a 30-second reel.
The real world repurcussions
The real damage is to children like Ishit. Viral infamy at 10, in an age when peers can be cruel, risks leaving lasting emotional scars. Ishit’s mental health could be at stake if he sees the hate. Media platforms, by prioritising engagement over ethics, amplify this harm while rarely offering a counter-narrative.
Ishit’s generation speaks with a fearless edge, shaped by a digital world that celebrates YouTube bravado and TikTok confidence. There is a generational shift. I neither approve nor disapprove of his interruptions, but I strongly disapprove of the harsh judgments directed at a 10-year-old. Every generation has had overexcited children waving their hands at every question, sitting in the front row, eager to shine. Why critique him so harshly now?
Parents know this tightrope too well. Raising kids in the social media age means nurturing confidence while bracing for backlash when it’s deemed “too much.” Parents aren’t perfect, nor are kids. Mistakes are their right — not our excuse to attack. And to the armchair philosophers with no kids, hurling sermons from behind screens: where’s your empathy?
Media sensationalism doesn’t just target one child; it shapes cultural attitudes. It pits generations against each other, framing kids as “disrespectful” while adults dodge accountability. The KBC incident reveals how easily media can inflate a minor moment into a moral crusade.
All I would say in the end is — take it easy. Take a chill pill.
Authored by Radhika Dhingra, freelance writer. | Views expressed by the author are their own.