KOCHI: A Class 9 student at Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district had been spending hours on his phone playing online games to earn money rather than for his studies. The addiction to the online game took its toll as the student ended his life by jumping into a pond near his house on Tuesday. Fourteen-year-old S Akash took the extreme step after losing a lot of money in the mobile game and fearing reprehension.
On November 8, 14-year-old Sabith of Chirayinkeezhu in Thiruvananthapuram ended his life allegedly after being addicted to online games. The Class 8 student entered into the world of mobile games using the phone given to him by his mother for his online studies. His father Shanavas, who works abroad, and other family members never came to know about his addiction until they checked the phone after he hanged himself.
Online games such as ‘Free Fire’ are the new villains ruining the lives of teenagers in the state. Back-to-back incidents in Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur districts in which the two students resorted to the extreme step following the mental trauma caused by losing money in online games have opened a new challenge for the parents even as experts say strict monitoring is the only way to deal with the menace.
“Early identification is the only way to avert such incidents and the family and school authorities should maintain an additional vigil,” said psychiatrist Dr C J John. Since classes have movedonline due to the pandemic, parents have allowed their children to use mobile phones for attending the sessions. But this has caused addiction and other behavioural issues.
“A content meant for adults is being passed into the child’s brains through the online games. A kid do not have the mental capacity to sense the danger. An etiquette of online behaviour should be developed and the online activities of children monitored,” added Dr John. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had announced the setting up of digital de-addiction centres with the help of the police’s Cyberdome to keep children away from the dangers of online games. However, the project remains on paper.
When contacted, ADGP Manoj Abraham, nodal officer of Cyberdome, said the police have launched ‘Chiri’, a 24x7 helpline (9497900200) to provide counselling for the students, prior to the launch of the proposed digital de-addiction centres. “We require some technical assistance and the services of experts. The project will be launched in full swing within two to three months,” the ADGP said.
14-year-old found dead in pond
Thrissur: S Akash, 14, son of Shabi of Korumbissery, went missing from his home at Irinjalakuda on Tuesday evening. Following this, his parents lodged a complaint and the police launched a search. After they found the boy’s footwear and bicycle near the Koodalmanikyam temple pond on Wednesday, a further search helped police locate and fish out his body from the pond. According to the police, Akash’s father had reprimanded the Class 9 boy for spending money on mobile games such as ‘Free Fire’. Following this, the boy resorted to the extreme step. There were also reports that Akash lost a lot of money in the mobile games and chose to take his life fearing reprehension.
E-GAME BEHIND T’PURAM BOY DEATH?
T’Puram: The police team investigating the death of a 13-year-old boy, who was found hanging at his residence on November 8 in Chirayinkeezhu, suspect that he too died by suicide following online game addiction. The police have sent the boy’s mobile phone for forensic examination. Based on initial findings, he was found to have downloaded several online games on the phone after locking it with a separate password. However, the police did not confirm that the death was due to the addiction. A scientific investigation is needed to unearth the truth, for which the phone has been sent to the forensic lab for further examination, the police said.