Silent epidemic of screen dependence
WE now scroll more than we sleep, and that’s not a metaphor, it’s a grim reality. According to an Ernst & Young report, Indians spent a mind-numbing 1.1 lakh crore hours on their smartphones last year. Perhaps, the most alarming part is our lack of awareness about it. I see it every day on the campus — classmates glued to their screens during lectures, accessing Instagram under the desk and playing YouTube on loop in the library.
Students walk around with their heads down, eyes fixed on their phones. Once upon a time, a lowered head signalled guilt or shame; now, it just means you are scrolling through reels while walking. The sight is similar in metro trains, cafés and even at family dinners.
This isn’t just a personal problem anymore, it’s a national concern. In 2016, AIIMS launched a special psychiatric OPD for patients grappling with screen dependence. Today, it is taking a more structured approach by establishing India’s first Centre for Advanced Research on Addictive Behaviours (CAR-AB), focused on Internet and technology addiction among children and adolescents.
A recent survey showed that only 3 per cent of Indians have a healthy relationship with technology. The World Health Organisation recognised gaming disorder as a mental health condition in its 2018 revision of the International Classification of Diseases. The term ‘Brain Rot’ was named Oxford Word of the Year 2024, highlighting the cognitive impact of excessive screen use.
Globally, tragic incidents highlight its severity. A South Korean couple lost their child while raising a virtual one. In India, online challenges like ‘Blue Whale’ have driven teenagers to suicide. Even without such extremes, the emotional fallout — anxiety, isolation and poor academic performance — is widely documented.
Recognising the urgency, governments worldwide have begun to treat digital addiction as a collective, not merely personal, challenge. India, though still evolving its framework, has begun to respond. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, mandates verifiable parental consent before processing children’s data. However, fragmented policies are not enough. India needs a comprehensive digital wellness framework. There could be a uniform minimum age for social media use, supported by robust age-verification systems, such as integration with Aadhaar. Schools should also incorporate digital wellness education into curricula. More importantly, tech companies must be part of the solution.
Algorithms are designed to trap attention, but they can also be designed to protect it. Timed lockouts, screen-time notifications, mental health tools and human-first innovation isn’t just possible, it’s overdue. If screen addiction is the symptom, conscious use is the cure, because every time we pick up our phones, we are making a choice.
