New Delhi: Nearly half of urban Indian parents believe their children are addicted to social media, OTT platforms or online gaming. The Economic Survey 2026 flags digital addiction among youth as a growing public health concern requiring urgent regulatory, educational and mental health responses.
A new nationwide survey by LocalCircles, covering over 57,000 parents across 302 urban districts, shows that 49% of children aged 9–17 spend three hours or more every day online, with many parents linking excessive screen time to aggression, impatience, hyperactivity and depression.
The findings underscore a widening gap between India’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem and the safeguards needed to protect children’s mental and emotional well-being.
From Entertainment to Addiction
What parents once viewed as harmless screen engagement has increasingly begun to resemble dependency. According to the LocalCircles survey, 70% of parents say their children are addicted to video and OTT platforms, while 64% report addiction to social media and 64% to online gaming, often simultaneously.
Only one in five parents said their children were not addicted to any digital medium—highlighting how deeply screens have become embedded in childhood.
The Economic Survey 2026 places these concerns in a global context, noting that digital addiction among youth has emerged worldwide as a significant public health issue, prompting governments to adopt regulatory, therapeutic and educational interventions. It also points out that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has formally recognised gaming disorder as a mental health condition under ICD-11, defined by impaired control, prioritisation of gaming over daily activities and continued use despite harm.
Parents say the consequences are already visible at home. The LocalCircles survey found that 61% of parents noticed increased impatience, 58% aggression, and 50% hyperactivity in their children. Nearly half reported depression and lethargy, raising alarm among educators and healthcare professionals
The Economic Survey echoes these concerns, noting that excessive digital exposure is linked globally to sleep disruption, anxiety, stress, reduced concentration and declining academic performance—effects that can compound during adolescence, a critical developmental phase.
How the World Is Responding
The Survey outlines how countries across continents are taking firm steps to curb youth digital addiction. Australia has introduced one of the world’s strictest measures, banning social media accounts for children under 16. China enforces real-name registration and limits gaming to one hour a day on weekends and holidays, penalising overuse through a “fatigue system.” South Korea, France, Japan, Finland, Spain, and parts of the United States have introduced classroom smartphone bans, curfews or school-wide restrictions to protect student well-being.
The UK’s Digital Resilience Framework focuses on embedding digital well-being into education and product design, while Singapore’s Media Literacy Council promotes cyber wellness through schools and communities.
In India, the government enacted the Online Gaming (Regulation) Act, banning online money games involving wagering, restricting advertising, and introducing licensing norms to curb compulsive use and financial harm.
Mental health support has expanded through Tele-MANAS, a 24/7 toll-free helpline launched in 2022, which has already received over 32 lakh calls, reflecting the scale of mental health distress. Specialised facilities such as the SHUT Clinic at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, now offer treatment for compulsive technology use among adolescents.
Recognising the measures, the Economic Survey also warned that the lack of comprehensive national data on digital addiction hampers targeted interventions and effective policymaking in India.
From Screens to Solutions
The Survey calls for a multi-pronged strategy—stronger data collection through the upcoming Second National Mental Health Survey, a Digital Wellness Curriculum in schools, reduced dependence on online teaching tools, and mandatory physical activity to counter sedentary screen-heavy lifestyles.
It also stresses the role of families, recommending device-free hours, parental workshops, age-appropriate defaults on platforms, and even the promotion of simpler devices for children. At the community level, it urges the creation of offline youth hubs, particularly in urban slums and rural areas, to offer real-world alternatives to digital immersion.
As India races toward becoming one of the world’s largest digital societies, the convergence of parental anxieties and government data sends a clear message: connectivity without control carries a cost—and the price is increasingly being paid by children.
