Rising Digital Addiction & Mental Health Issues

Syllabus: GS2/ Health

Context

• The Economic Survey 2025-26, has flagged the rapid rise of digital addiction and screen-related mental health problems as a major healthcare issue, particularly among children and adolescents.

Digital Addiction as an Emerging Public Health Issue

• The Survey recognises excessive screen time and social media usage as contributors to anxiety, depression, attention disorders, sleep disruption, obesity, and lifestyle diseases.
• Children and adolescents are identified as neurologically and psychologically more vulnerable to compulsive digital use due to addictive platform designs.
• Behavioral tracking and targeted advertising exploit children’s cognitive vulnerabilities, reinforcing addictive consumption patterns.

Key Recommendations of the Economic Survey 2025-26

• Age-Based Limits: The Survey calls for consideration of age-based limits on access to social media platforms to address growing concerns about digital addiction among children and adolescents.
• Stricter Age Verification: Online platforms should be made responsible for enforcing age verification processes so that minors cannot easily create accounts or access content meant for adults.
• Age-Appropriate Default Settings: Platforms should adopt age-appropriate defaults, meaning settings that are tailored to protect younger users by default.
• Targeted Advertising: The Survey also recommends curbs on targeted advertising specifically for minors, and restrictions on features like auto-play that can exacerbate compulsive use.

Initiatives taken by Government

• The Online Gaming (Regulation) Act, 2025, bans online money games involving wagering and introduces a licensing framework for skill-based games.
• Tele-MANAS, a 24/7 mental health helpline with an app to assist with technology addiction.
• The SHUT Clinic at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, is India’s first specialized center dedicated to treating technology addictions, such as excessive gaming, social media use, and mobile dependence.
• The Digital Detox Centre (“Beyond Screens”) in Karnataka, a resource for counseling and therapy.

Global Best Practices

• Australia has enacted the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, making it the first country to impose a statutory minimum age of 16 years for social media use.
• France has moved to restrict social media access for users under 15, requiring parental authorization to create accounts, with the bill passing the lower house in 2026. 

Way Ahead

• The stress should be given on a strategic transition from a treatment-centric model to a public and preventive healthcare-led approach.
• There is a need for Integration of mental health services with schools and higher educational institutions.
• Dedicated counsellors must be trained and deployed at scale to normalise help-seeking behaviour among children and adolescents.
• Network-level safeguards should be strengthened through differentiated data plans that clearly separate educational usage from recreational consumption.

Source: TH