Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old New York City mayoral candidate, is facing backlash for using children in his campaign videos. Mamdani's critics have called him out for featuring kids promoting his election campaign, as he has been vocal about the harmful effects of social media on children and youth, Fox News reported.
The Indian-origin politician shared campaign videos featuring interviews with two schoolchildren endorsing him as the mayoral candidate on Instagram. Since then, the posts have sparked criticism from followers, particularly after he was seen praising his own childhood for being free of social media.
View this post on InstagramThe Democratic nominee stirred controversy as New York State recently introduced a classroom cell phone ban to support the mental health of the students. On Thursday, Mamdani appeared outside I.S. 5 in Queens to welcome students back on the first day of the school year and praised the new ban.
"I consider myself fortunate… "When I was a student, it was before social media had cannibalised the way that kids interact with one another," he wrote in the post made three days ago. Mamdani's Instagram post was aimed to align with his back-to-school message about "hope and new beginnings".
However, since then, Mamdani has shared two separate videos of two kids as he sits down for a candid conversation ahead of the high-stakes elections.
In the video with the little girl, identified as Kiara, Mamdani is being interviewed by her. “If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?” she asks him.
When Mamdani responds that he would ensure people can live a dignified life, she agrees with his remark.
“How old is she? So articulate, but she's so tiny," one follower said about the little girl.
"Why are you using kids to promote your political agenda?" Another user commented on one of the videos.
One critic wrote, "He can express his personal opinion and promote whomever he wants; using the kids to do it is unacceptable."
Recently, New York Governor Kathy Hochul defended the state's new cell phone ban in schools, saying it will reduce distractions, boost mental health and protect kids in emergencies. The law restricts smartphones and smartwatches during school hours, with exceptions for medical or educational use.
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