1 in 2 urban Indian parents say their children are addicted to social media, OTT and online gaming platforms which is making them aggressive, impatient and lethargic

Nov 5, 2024, New Delhi: It is not unusual to see young parents’ hand over their mobile phones to their young children, some less than 5 years old, to keep them occupied. Technology negatively impacts kids if they spend so much time on screens that they skimp on eating, sleeping, doing their homework, or spending time with friends and families. Research suggests that heavy social media use can also be a risk factor for anxiety and depression in teenagers. Experts also warn that social media, with its unfiltered content, can create violent tendencies among children.

The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act 2023, passed by Parliament on August 12th, 2023 aims to prevent personal data breaches and provides specialized protections for children and persons with disabilities. However, it is virtually ineffective as the provisions can't be enforced in the absence of detailed rules. These long-awaited rules are yet to be notified.

Like India several other countries are planning to have an age authentication system in place to protect minors. The Norwegian government on October 24th, unveiled a proposal to increase the minimum age for social media use to 15 (from 13) with the aim of safeguarding children from harmful online content. The move, which proposes altering the Personal Data Act, is part of a wider effort to address concerns about the influence of tech giants on young users and their data, according to a report by newspaper VG. The Norwegian government plans to implement an age verification system to ensure compliance with the new rules. This would not only apply to social media but also other services that collect personal data, like OTT platforms or those working on subscriptions. The European Commission, DG CNECT – Communications Networks, Content and Technology, recently released a call for tenders for the ‘Development, Consultancy and Support for an Age Verification Solution’. The procurement “will enable users of online web services to prove their age through the presentation of an electronic attestation through a dedicated application (mobile app) in a privacy preserving manner in order to access age restricted content,” according to the description.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also written to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) recently to mandate KYC-based verification of children’s age under the purview of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, as per a media report. The IT ministry also held a meeting in July with social media platforms to explore ways to verify the children’s age. Aadhaar and Digilocker are considered but found ineffective as a solid method for age verification. The NCPCR had previously expressed concerns about the availability of adult content to minors and the lack of KYC-based systems for children on certain platforms. In March, Ullu, an OTT service preparing for an IPO and known for its adult-oriented films and series, faced scrutiny when the NCPCR asked MeitY to act against the platform for allegedly allowing minors easy access to explicit content. The importance of necessary regulation was also pointed out by the Government’s recent Economic Survey, which had raised concerns about the increasing mental health issues Indians face, and the negative economic impact of such cases. “The unrestrained and unsupervised use of the internet by children can culminate into a range of problems, from the more prevalent obsessive consumption of social media or ‘doom-scrolling’ to severe ones such as cyberbullying,” the Survey stated.

Most social media apps require users to be at least 13 years old. But according to the U.S. Surgeon General, nearly 40% of children 8 to 12 years old and 95% of children 13 to 17 years old use social media apps, majority without parents’ consent. The U.S. Surgeon General, who oversees the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, an elite group of over 6,000 uniformed officers, released an advisory early this year on how social media affects children and teenager’s mental health. What is scary is that teens who spend more than three hours a day on social media double their risk of depression and anxiety.

While experts are just beginning to understand social media’s impact on children, one study shows that children younger than 11 years old who use Instagram and Snapchat are more likely to have problematic digital behaviours like having online-only friends and visiting sites parents would disapprove of, as well as a greater chance of taking part in online harassment, states a report by health.clevelandclinic.org.

With thousands of parents of children between the ages of 9 -17 writing about their concerns in regard to addiction to children to social media, OTT, gaming platforms on LocalCircles, it conducted a new nationwide study to understand the state of affairs. The study received over 70,000 responses from parents located in over 368 urban districts of the country. 61% respondents were men while 39% respondents were women. 43% respondents were from tier 1, 27% from tier 2 and 30% respondents were from tier 3 and 4 districts.

47% urban Indian parents of children between ages 9-17 say their children spend an average of 3 hours or more each day on social media, videos/OTT and online games

Some parents can curb how much time their children spend on mobile phones, social media/ online games. But it is not so in most cases. The survey first asked parents in urban areas, “How much average time per day are children between ages 9-17 in your family spending on social media, videos/ OTT and online games on internet?” Out of 13,285 who responded to the question, 10% of parents/ guardians stated that their children in the age group 9-17 year spent “6+ hours” on the internet; 37% of respondents stated “3-6 hours”; 39% of respondents stated “1-3 hours”; 9% stated “up to 1 hour” and only 5% stated that their wards are “spending hardly any time on social media, videos/OTT and online games”. To sum up, 47% urban Indian parents of children between ages 9-17 say their children spend an average of 3 hours or more each day on social media, videos/OTT and online games.

Majority urban Indian parents of children between ages 9-17 admit that their children are addicted to social media, videos or online gaming and in some cases one or more such mediums

With varied options available on the internet to engage the attention of children, the survey next asked, “What all do you feel children between ages 9-17 in your family are addicted (have to engage in every day) to?” Some among 13,678 parents/ guardians who responded to the question indicated more than one option. 66% of those surveyed indicated that their children are addicted to “video/ OTT (Youtube, Prime Video, Netflix, Hotstar, etc.)”; 61% of respondents indicated “social media (Instagram, WhatsApp, Discord, Snapchat, Be Real, etc.)”; 52% indicated “online gaming (Minecraft, PUBG, Fortnight, Among US, FIFA, Fantasy Sports, etc.)”; and 23% indicated “other activities online” not mentioned. In addition, 5% of respondents did not give a clear answer while 5% of respondents stated that “luckily they are not addicted to any of the above” internet-based pursuits. To sum up, majority of urban Indian parents of children between ages 9-17 admit that their children are addicted to social media, videos or online gaming and in some cases one or more such mediums.

Highest number of urban Indian parents of children ages 9-17 say aggression, impatience and lethargy in their children is a result of excessive time on social media, videos/OTT or online games

Many parents worry about the anti-social behaviour of their children because of addiction to internet-based activities. The survey next asked parents, “What all emotional or mental impact of social media, videos/ OTT and online games do you see on your children between the ages 9-17?” Some among the 13,743 who responded to the question indicated more than one impact with 58% stating that they see “aggressive” behaviour; 49% stated that the children are “impatient”; 49% described the children as being “lethargic”; 42% stated that the children are “depressed”; 30% stated that the children are “hyperactive”; while 19% described the children to be “happier” and 4% of parents stated that the children as “more social”. In addition, 23% of parents indicated “other impact” not mentioned and 4% stated “none of the above” impacts have been witnessed. To sum up, highest number of urban Indian parents of children ages 9-17 say aggression, impatience and lethargy in their children is a result of excessive time spent on social media, videos/OTT or online games.

66% urban Indian parents surveyed want the data protection law to ensure that mandatory parental consent is sought for children under 18 when they join social media, OTT/video and online gaming platforms

With most school children being exposed to the internet as part of school requirement to gather information for study and projects, which rose significantly during the COVID pandemic, there is inclusive debate on what should be the age of parental consent to allow their children/ wards to join social media or have access to other internet sites. The survey asked parents/ guardians, “Should India operationalize on priority the mandatory parental consent for children under 18 to join social media, OTT/ video and online gaming platforms?” Out of 13,174 parents/ guardians who responded to the question 66% stated “yes, absolutely” parental consent for children below 18 years should be mandatory; 20% stated “no, the minimum age to join without consent should be 15 years”; 4% of the respondents stated “no, the minimum age to join without consent should be retained at 13” and 10% of the respondents did not give a clear response. In essence, 66% urban Indian parents surveyed want the data protection law to ensure that mandatory parental consent is sought for children under 18 when they join social media, OTT/video and online gaming platforms.

Highest percentage (33%) of urban Indian parents surveyed believe that India should operationalise mandatory parental consent for children joining social media, OTT and online gaming platforms via Aadhaar authentication

As two-third guardians want parental consent to be made mandatory, the survey finally asked, “How should India operationalize the mandatory parental consent for children under 18 to join social media, OTT/ video and online gaming platforms?” The question received 17,143 responses with 35% stating “it should be done via a centralized Aadhaar authentication system”; 12% stated that “it should be done by platforms storing Aadhaar details of both the child and the parent”; 18% of respondents stated, “it should be done via mobile number or email of parent with no Aadhaar authentication required”; 9% want that “it should be done through video with parent and child together”; and 4% stated “it should be done in some other way than the ones listed”. In addition, 9% of respondents stated “it should not be done at all” while 15% of respondents did not give a clear answer. To sum up, highest percentage (33%) of urban Indian parents surveyed believe that India should operationalize mandatory parental consent for children joining social media, OTT and online gaming platforms via Aadhaar authentication.

Gathering parental consent via Aadhar authentication seems to be the way to go according to many parents. Also, technically this should be very feasible as Aadhaar database has the details of the child to parent association where the child’s and parent’s Aadhaar is linked to the same mobile number making it easier to receive an OTP and validate. Technically, the platforms upon collecting the basic registration information of the child must redirect them to the Aadhaar authentication which once complete should redirect them to the social media, OTT or gaming platform to complete the registration.

In summary, the study and survey reveal that 47% urban Indian parents of children between ages 9-17 say their children spend an average of 3 hours or more each day on social media, videos/OTT and online games. Majority urban Indian parents surveyed admit that their children are addicted to social media, videos or online gaming and in some cases one or more such mediums. What is worrying is that the highest number of urban Indian parents of children ages 9-17 say aggression, impatience and lethargy in their children is a result of excessive time on social media, videos/OTT or online games. The result is that 66% urban Indian parents surveyed want the data protection law to ensure that mandatory parental consent is sought for children under 18 when they join social media, OTT/video and online gaming platforms. The highest percentage (33%) of urban Indian parents surveyed believe that India should operationalize mandatory parental consent for children joining social media, OTT and online gaming platforms after Aadhaar authentication.

LocalCircles, which has been escalating this issue for a few years now plans to share the survey results with MEITY, UIDAI, NCPCR, Ministry of Women and Child Development and related parliamentary committee for their understanding and intervention.

Survey Demographics

The survey received over 70,000 responses from parents located in over 368 urban districts of the country. 61% respondents were men while 39% respondents were women. 43% respondents were from tier 1, 27% from tier 2 and 30% respondents were from tier 3 and 4 districts. The survey was conducted via LocalCircles platform, and all participants were validated citizens who had to be registered with LocalCircles to participate in this survey.