NEW DELHI: If your children are aggressive, lazy or depressed, the chances are high that they are addicted to social media, OTT and online gaming platforms.
According to a survey conducted on over 46,000 people across 296 districts in the country, about 61 per cent of urban Indian parents have reported that their child spends excessive time on social media and has shown signs of not only aggression but of impatience and hyperactivity, combined with lack of concentration.
Fearing long-term repercussions on the child exposed to unlimited social media, 73% of parents, mostly from urban areas and even from tier-3 cities, wanted the data protection law to ensure mandatory parental consent for children aged under 18 years to join social media, OTT, video and online gaming platforms.
The survey conducted by LocalCircles, India’s leading community social media platform, found that the addiction started especially during the post-Covid lockdown, when schools were closed and children were studying online.
Though children have been back in school post-Covid since early 2022, their internet usage for leisurely activities has only gone up.
“Fuelled by this urge to watch videos, play their favourite online games or stay connected with friends, many children in urban India are demanding either full-time or part-time gadget access when at home,” the survey said.
“Gadget addiction by children between ages 9-18 years has become the new reality. This is leading to impatience and aggression, lack of concentration, memory issues, headache, eye and back problems, stress, anxiety, communication issues, lethargy and even depression,” it said.
Many parents shared they are unaware of the various social media and gaming apps their children are using. According to Sachin Taparia, founder of LocalCircles, the government is operationalising the new Digital Private Data Protection Law, which mandates parental consent being sought for apps that are used by children under the age of 18.
“Platforms, however, seem to be struggling to implement such age-grading and are trying to work with the government,” he added.