Jaipur: Congress MLA Manish Yadav Friday raised concerns in the Assembly over increasing digital addiction among children and urged the state govt to frame a regulatory policy to ensure safer digital engagement for minors.Referring to a June 2025 meta-analysis published in the Cureus journal by researchers at AIIMS Raipur, Yadav said the study analysed 10 research papers covering 2,857 children across India and found that those under five years spend an average of 2.22 hours daily on screens — nearly double the safe limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP). He added that children below two years are spending 1.23 hours per day on screens despite guidelines recommending zero screen time for that age group. Highlighting ground realities in Rajasthan, Yadav cited online gaming debt cases in Jaipur, Kota and Jodhpur, cyberbullying incidents in Ajmer and Alwar, and rising exposure of minors to violent and gangster-themed content on social media. Counsellors in Kota’s coaching hub have also reported growing anxiety, sleep disturbances and declining concentration among students linked to excessive mobile use. “Algorithm-driven platforms are designed to maximise engagement. For children, this leads to compulsive scrolling, dopamine dependency and impaired cognitive development,” he said. Citing global studies by WHO and UNICEF, Yadav said excessive screen exposure is associated with anxiety, depression, behavioural issues and poor academic performance. He proposed age-based digital regulation for children below 16, mandatory parental controls, default screen-time limits, night-time auto-lock systems, algorithmic accountability, digital wellbeing education in schools, and dedicated helplines and counselling centres. “This is not about banning technology,” he said, “but about protecting the mental health and future of our children.”
