37.15% of kids losing focus due to smartphones: Centre cites study

The Centre on Wednesday said a study showed that 37.15 per cent of children had experienced reduced concentration levels due to smartphone use.

Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, told the Lok Sabha in a written reply that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights conducted a study titled “Effects (Physical, Behavioural and Psycho-Social) of using mobile phones and other devices with internet accessibility by children”.

“As per the study, 23.80 per cent of children use smartphones while they are in bed, before going to sleep, which increases with age and 37.15 per cent of children, always or frequently, experience reduced levels of concentration due to smartphone use,” Chandrasekhar said.

Replying to a question on the increased usage of cellphones among children during the pandemic resulted in internet addiction and its details, the minister said the rapid expansion of the mobile ecosystem and internet in India has also seen the emergence of many new categories of possible risks and challenges, including that of associated user harms.

The minister also said that the Ministry of Electronics and Information does not have any specific information on internet addiction in children.

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