Coimbatore: An eight-year-old child was recently brought to a psychiatrist in a city hospital with complaints about his phone addiction. Overexposed to reels on Instagram, the child had been swiping his index finger even at sleep.Dr R Srinidhi Nithyanand, consultant psychiatrist at Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital (KMCH), who treated the child, says addiction often develops as a coping mechanism rather than a simple ‘screen obsession.’ According to a research paper published in International Research Journal of Education and Technology in May 2025 by F Laavanya Mary Rodriguez, assistant professor, Hindustan College of Nursing, Coimbatore, about 56% of teenagers (study carried out among the 400 students (class IX-XII) of various schools) were addicted to mobile phones. The study also revealed that the addiction rate was higher among private school students in urban areas. Psychological symptoms such as anxiety (42.4%), depression (36.6%), and stress (46.9%) were significantly more common among mobile users. Commenting on the need for the study, Laavanya said, “The attention span of students is declining with more than 60% unable to concentrate in a 40-minute class. When looked at more deeply, overexposure to social media, which provides 30-second and one-minute content, modifies the human system.” Screen exposure starts early, right from six to seven months, when they watch rhymes on YouTube channels like Cocomelon, says Dr R Srinidhi Nithyanand. Because of this, a lot of children have attention problems. Srinidhi says continuous screen exposure leads to addiction to online games like cricket and cards, ending in taking money from their parents to play. “Such behaviour related to gambling is usually witnessed in people above the age of 30, but now it has become irrespective of age. Children glued to mobile phones will have issues like anxiety, lack of socialization and decline in exam scores. This prevails among children between the ages of 10 and 20. We get at least 5-6 such cases every week,” Srinidhi says. Instant gratification is a major outcome of addiction, says Janita Veronica, a psychologist and the founder of Breathing Space, Coimbatore. Children these days want to have an instant dopamine rush and pleasure, which they find on mobile phones. Breathing Space, a weekend school, provides therapy to children addicted to mobile phones, along with their parents, by engaging them in hands-on activities like farming and gardening. Dr M Helena Selvakodi, psychiatrist at District Mental Health Programme, Coimbatore, says sibling rivalry was one of the main reasons for choosing phones to escape comparisons or conflict at home. “Abusive or overly controlling parenting can push children toward online spaces where they feel temporary control, comfort and attention. A lack of a supportive social circle limited outdoor play, and weak peer connections can also make digital platforms feel like the only reliable source of entertainment and belonging,” says Helena. She warns that symptoms can appear in school performance, sleep patterns, and emotional regulation, and may be mistaken for routine moodiness. They emphasize that early recognition and consistent boundaries, along with healthier family interactions, are crucial to reducing dependency before it becomes entrenched. Janita says, “You cannot stop the mobile phone addiction suddenly. It should be done gradually with the parent or the caregiver willing to work patiently and consistently.”
