NEW DELHI: Concerned with the excessive and problematic use of technology, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved the setting up of a Centre for Advanced Research on Addictive Behaviours (CAR-AB).
The first-of-its-kind centre in the country has been mandated to develop evidence-based intervention targeted at excessive and problematic use of technology, especially among children and youth.
“The centre shall address various addictive behaviours in a comprehensive manner. The interventions shall be aimed at prevention, screening, early detection and intervention for internet and technology related addictions among children and youth,” according to Prof Yatan Pal Singh Balhara, faculty in-charge of the Behavioral Addictions Clinic (BAC) at AIIMS, New Delhi, who is the lead on this project.
The centre will also be tasked to develop resources for education and health sector workers to strengthen their capacity for the prevention and management of these problems.
The interventions shall also help reduce the stress, depression, anxiety, and addiction associated with the use of the internet and technology.
“Also, the centre aims to develop AI-based predictive models to detect vulnerability to excessive and problematic use of technology among the youth,” Prof. Balhara said.
“Excessive and problematic use of technology has been recognised as a major public health problem. The Economic Survey of India (2024-25) has linked the increase in mental health issues in children and adolescents to overuse of the Internet and highlighted the urgent need for school and family-level interventions to keep children and adolescents away from the Internet to improve their mental well-being,” he added.
The centre will partner with school and college students, parents, teachers, and faculty from Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), and other medical colleges to create a national network targeted at addressing internet and technology-related addictions.
The Economic Survey 2024 said that “Social media, screen time, sedentary habits, and unhealthy food are a lethal mix that can undermine public health and productivity and diminish India’s economic potential,” it said and raised concerns about the impact of social media on the mental health of the youth.
A survey by LocalCircles, India's leading community social media platform, said that one in two urban Indian parents shared that their children are addicted to social media, OTT and online gaming platforms, which is making them aggressive, impatient and lethargic.
While most children between the ages of nine and seventeen are on social media for three to six hours, many watch it for more than six hours, the survey released last year said.