Suicide by Nawanshahr village friends sparks concern over gaming addiction

Shock and grief have engulfed Garh Padhana village in Nawanshahr after three close friends allegedly consumed a poisonous substance on Tuesday. Two of them, Dilpreet Singh (21) and Paramjit Singh (15), died, while the third, Maninder Singh (15), is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The incident is reportedly linked to losses suffered by Dilpreet allegedly through online gaming, although police are investigating the exact circumstances.

According to preliminary information, Dilpreet was the one who allegedly played online games and suffered heavy losses. The two teenagers were close friends of Dilpreet and reportedly followed him in consuming the poisonous substance. The police are also looking into whether Maninder and Paramjit were involved in online gaming.

The incident has left residents of Garh Padhana deeply shaken. The village sarpanch and other residents expressed disbelief over the incident, saying they could not believe that such an incident had occurred in their village.

“Nobody is able to eat properly. We are so shattered,” the sarpanch said while speaking to mediapersons.

Satnam Singh, SHO, who is supervising the case, described the incident as rare. "I haven’t seen any such case," he said, adding that the circumstances surrounding the incident were being investigated.

Mental health experts have, meanwhile, raised concerns over the growing risks associated with excessive online gaming and screen use among youngsters.

Dr Nirdosh Goel, retired associate professor of psychiatry and former in-charge of the De-Addiction Centre at the Civil Hospital, said online gaming addiction can have serious consequences. He said gaming platforms are often designed in ways that encourage engagement and results in addiction while peer pressure can further influence young people.

“Gaming addiction can be very dangerous. The algorithms are designed in such a way that a person can get stuck,” Dr Goel said. He added that parents frequently approach complaining that their children remain on their phones late into the night.

He stressed the need for parents to closely monitor their children's screen use and said teenagers are particularly vulnerable to peer influence. He also advocated age-based restrictions on access to certain forms of online gaming.

Dr Ashmeen Kaur, Head of the Department of Psychology at HMV College, also described excessive gaming and screen use as a serious concern. She said screen time had increased substantially, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic, when online classes became common.

“Dopamine is released when they play games,” she said, explaining that the reward mechanism can encourage repeated gaming. She also highlighted the role of parenting and said excessive screen use by parents themselves, coupled with a lack of quality time with their kids can affect the bonding.

According to Dr Ashmeen, some young people may also use gaming and other online activities as a means of fulfilling unmet desires.

The incident has again brought the growing concerns surrounding online gaming addiction, peer influence and excessive screen use among teenagers into focus.