FROM GIFTS TO VIOLENCE: THE NORMALISATION OF DOWRY THROUGH HUMOUR ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS IMPACT ON CHILDREN'S ATTITUDES

Dowry, although prohibited by the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, still remains a deep-rooted social practice in India. The culture of online humour not only reinforces its ongoing existence in the digital age, but also tradition. Dowry is often depicted on social media platforms, in memes, reels and funny posts as cars, cash, property and luxury gifts, portraying it as a sign of success, prestige or comic entertainment, rather than as an expression of gender-based discrimination and criminal activity. Such representations are at risk of normalizing an illegal behaviour, especially for children, who are increasingly exposed to digital media in their early years.While existing legal scholarship has extensively analysed the statutory regulation of dowry and the enforcement of anti-dowry laws, comparatively little attention has been devoted to examining how humorous digital content contributes to the normalisation of dowry and influences children‟s attitudes towards marriage, gender roles and material expectations. This paper argues that social media humour acts as an informal mechanism of socialisation by constantly representing dowry as desirable and culturally appropriate. The study, which is guided by Social Learning Theory, media desensitisation and normative social influence, argues that the constant exposure of children to such content might gradually reduce the seriousness of dowry and thereby erode the social stigma that anti-dowry laws aim to build.The article undertakes a doctrinal and interdisciplinary examination of the growing gap between legal prohibition and digital normalization by examining the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, constitutional principles, relevant judicial developments and current literature in the fields of psychology and media studies. The paper concludes that criminal sanctions alone will not be sufficient to eradicate dowry. Legal reform must be accompanied by digital literacy initiatives, responsible platform governance, educational interventions and publicawareness efforts that can challenge online narratives that trivialise and legitimate dowry through humour. This study seeks to contribute to the current discussion of the efficacy of anti-dowry legislation in a more networked society by positioning the issue at the confluence of law, digital culture and childhood socialisation. Keywords: Dowry; Social Media; Humour; Memes; Children; Social Learning Theory; Digital Culture; Gender Justice; Dowry Prohibition Act; Media Psychology.