Ahmedabad: A 14-year-old boy’s addiction to online mobile games became so severe that he stopped attending school for nearly a month, secretly spending his days in public places playing games on his cellphone, while his parents believed he was in class.The case came to light after the boy’s mother, a resident of eastern Ahmedabad, approached the Abhayam 181 women helpline for assistance. Counsellors said the teenager had also made online purchases using his parents’ bank cards.According to counsellors, the parents had bought smartphones for their 14-year-old twins — a boy and a girl — during the Covid-19 pandemic to facilitate online learning. While the daughter’s phone use remained under control, the boy gradually developed a serious gaming addiction.The teenager repeatedly told his parents that he was using the phone for studies and school assignments. However, counsellors found that he was spending most of his waking hours playing multiplayer online role-playing games.About two months ago, the addiction began affecting his daily routine. Whenever his parents tried to take away the phone, he allegedly became aggressive, shouting loudly and creating a disturbance in the housing society until they returned the device.The parents realised the extent of the problem only after school authorities informed them that the boy had been absent for nearly a month after the new academic session began. Instead of attending classes, he would spend the day at a public place or garden playing games before returning home at his usual time.After counselling, the teenager agreed to hand over his phone to his parents and resume attending school.Counsellors advised the family to seek long-term psychological counselling to address the addiction and prevent a relapse.“The boy understood how excessive gaming was affecting his education and future. While he has agreed to give up the phone for now, we have advised the parents to consult a psychologist so that the behavioural issues can be addressed through sustained counselling,” a counsellor said.
